BT 

890 

75 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS, 



3 



T 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 



A PROCLAMATION 



THE MILLENNIUM: 



OR, THAT 



REST PROMISED TO THE .PEOPLE OF GOD 



TO WHICH IS ADDED 



A SUPPLEMENT 



BY R. L. PAYNE, 

Of 'Wayne County, Kentucky. 



I HAVE ENDEAVORED 

1st. To show that the seventh day Sabbath is the ordinance of thai rest : 

£d. That the people of God will come, according to his word, to, one fold, to 

enjoy that rest : and then, in different modes ^though an intuitive mind 

can trace their relations to the same subject. 



RICHMOND 



PRINTED FOR THE AUTHOR, 
VERBATIM ET LITERATIM. 

1867. 



THE MILLENNIUM : 



OR, 



ESSAYS 



THEOLOGICAL AND DIDACTIC 



ON THE SABBATH : 



On the Scriptural passage, " One fold, and one Shepherd ;" On the 
Seven Churches in Asia, &c. 



.REVISED BY THE AUTHOR. 



RICHMOND: 
PRINTED FOR THE AUTHOR, 

Verbatim et Literatim. 
1865 



THIS MILLEN'jSTIXTM. 



SCHEDULE. 

I wrsfe to show what is the true meaning of the Sabbath; that it is 
that vest whieh is promised to the people of God, which will be enjoyed 
on earth, which is styled the Millennium. Though I have treated on 
the subject of the Millennium in different modes, an intuitive mind 
can trace their relations to the same subject. 

ON THE SABBATH. 

in commenting on the Millennium, we should first notice the natural 
ordinance which represents that spiritual substance to the natural mind 
of man, that we may comprehend it in its exact meaning, and cleave 
unto it in a true and living way; that we may not be found rejecting 
the truth against ourselves by straying off into false paths. All ordi- 
nances have their signification. The seventh day Sabbath seems to 
have been an ordinance emblematic of that great event promised to 
the people of God, which is styled the Millennium, and which ordinance 
has undergone as many theological changes as there are days in the 
given week, and all for the lack of knowledge concerning its true 
meaning. We will first refer to the law that established Che Sabbath ; 
secondly, point out the certainty of the day; thirdly, show what is 
the Sabbath. The law says, " Thou shalt keep the seventh day of the 
week holy," Ex. xx, 8, 10, 11 ; also, it was written by the finger of God 
on tables of stone and laid up in the ark of the covenant, Ex. xxxi, 18; 
Dent, x, 1 to 6, which was called the tables of the covenant, Dcut. iv, 
13 — v, 2 to 23 — ix, 2, 11, 15. It was death by the law to defile it, or to 
work therein, Ex. xxxi, 14. Recollect the man that was stoned for 
gathering sticks on the Sabbath, Numb, xv, 32, 37. 

God gave the children of Israel a statute law and a covenant law - 
the statute signified to a peculiar people, the covenant signified to all, 
for the promise is styled covenant, which is to all. Both promise and 
law were given to Abraham and his seed, Rom. ix, 4, and performed on 
Abraham's natural seed naturally, but they will be performed on his 
spiritual seed spiritually; for " in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the 
earth be blest," Acts iii, 25. Then, if they are all blest in his seed, 
which is Christ the spiritual, promised covenant, the law that was 
styled a covenant and spiritual, Rom. vii, 14, must be to all as well as 
the promised covenant, for the tables of the covenant which contained 
the law, were laid up in the ark of the covenant; and the law that was 
written thereon, was given to all that had the covenanted promise, 



4 



which promise related to another life through the resurrection of 
Christ, and included all the human family; " for as in Adam all die, so 
in Christ shall all be made alive," but eveiy man in his own order, 
Cor. xv, 22, 23. It will be the law that will make the difference in the 
order, in the morning of the resurrection. When the penalty of the 
law was performed naturally on Abraham's natural seed, it was natural 
death, Ex. xxxv, 2; Num. xv. 30 to 37, but the spiritual penalty will 
be spiritual death. Paul saj'S. " 1 was alive without the law once, but 
when the commandment came, sin revived and I died." ^Xot that he 
died like the man that gathered sticks on the Sabbath. Paul found 
himself spiritually dead to that spiritual promise by transgressing the 
law which he viewed as spiritual, Rom. vii, which law was annexed to 
that spiritual promise in Christ, that " all the kindreds of the earth 
should be blest:" that was, they should be raised to the enjoyments 
of another life through the resurrection of Christ. The law-covenant 
being annexed to the covenant promise, if man break the law-covenant 
with God, then will God break the covenant of the blessings that he 
has promised to them in that life, and will turn them into curses, which 
will, instead of eternal life, be eternal death. Paul found himself ex- 
posed to that eternal death by the commandments, and had to appeal 
to faith in Christ to become extricated from the condemnation under 
which he had brought himself by transgressing the law ; therefore he 
was made free from under the law by the body of Christ: "Whosoever 
shall keep the whole law and }*et offend in one point, he is guilty of the 
whole law," James ii, 10. One came to Christ and said, good master, 
what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life? Christ said, 
keep the commandments. He said which? Jesus said thou shalt do 
no murder, thou shalt not steal, thou shalt not bear false witness, honor 
thy father and thy mother,and thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. 
The young man said unto him all these things have I kept from my 
youth up ; what lack I yet ? Jesus said unto him, if thou wilt be per- 
fect go and sell that thou hast and give to the poor and thou shalt have 
treasure in heaven, and come and follow me. But when the young 
man heard that saying he went away sorrowful, for he had great pos- 
sessions. That showed that he was guilty in one point, for he loved 
his possessions more than he loved the Lord his God; therefore he was 
guilty of the whole law, like Saul when he was persecuting the church 
of Christ he thought verily he was doing God service. Therefore he 
was alive without the law, but when the commandments came, " Saul, 
Saul, why persecutest thou me," he found he did not love the Lord 
with all his heart and his neighbor as himself; for he was an offender 
in one point and was guilty of the whole law. There hefound himself 
dead to the law and a stranger to spiritual love which was received 
through the new covenant. The same law that says you shall not steal, 
you shall not covet and you shall love the Lord thy God with all thy 
heart, says you shall keep the seventh da}* holy; so if you break the 
Sabbath you are guilt}* of the whole law. The word of God does not 
say you shall keep the first day of the week in the manner most of the 
American people do from Constantino's decree. If the Lord be God 
follow him, and if Constantine follow him. 

We would not have known it was sin to break the commandments, 
if they had not been given, to give us knowledge of sin; for where 
there is no law there is no transgression, and as Paul said, Eom.vii, 7, 
" I had not known sin but by the law; for I had not known lust except 



0 



the lam had said thou shaft not covet;" I would not have known it 
was obligatory on me to keep the Sabbalh if the law had not said thou 
shalt keep the seventh day hoi}'. JBy that I know it is sin to break 
the Sabbath, for by the law is the knowledge of sin, Eom. iii, 20. and 
the penalty of sin under the new covenant is eternal death, for the 
soul that sinneth shall die, Ezek. xviii, 4, 20, Jcr. xxxi, 30. "We find 
that the American people and others keep the commandment accord- 
ing to the decree of Constantino, a Roman emperor, whose reign com- 
menced long after the apostolic day, and who seemed to be impressed 
with the belief, like many others at this time, that keeping the Sabbath 
was commemorative of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Now if that 
be true, we should keep the first day of the week as a festival and not 
the seventh, and cook and feast instead of rest, which sni ts the custom 
of man)- at the present time. AVe learn from St. Matthew xxviii, 1, 
Luke xxiv, 1, John xx, 1, that Christ r.ose from the dead on the first 
day of the week and St. Mark xvi; declares his resurrection on the first 
day of the week after the Sabbath had past and that his followers after 
his crucifixion returned and prepared spices and ointments and rested 
the Sabbath day according to the commandments, and went on the 
first day of the week and found that Christ was risen, Luke xxiii, 56, 
which shows that Christ's disciples were not impressed with that 
belief. 

Now for the evidence, which is the seventh day of the week and which 
is the first. The word Sunday signifies the first day of the week the 
same as chair signifies seat to sit on, or that the word God signifies the 
Great Supreme of the universe; for the same language that says a 
chftir is a seat or God is Supreme, says Sunday is the first day of the 
week and Saturday is the seventh. To know whether the seventh day 
of the week has been rightly handed down or not, examine the evi- 
dence when God gave the commandments to Moses. God let Moses 
and the rest of the people of Israel know which was the seventh day 
by no manna's falling on that clay and they receiving twice as much 
on the sixth and laying it up for the Sabbath in safety, for if they laid 
it up any other day of the week it would breed worms and stink, Ex. 
xvi, 4, 5, 9, to 31. It was death by the law to work therein, Ex. xxxv, 
2, Num. xv, 31. It is not reasonable that a nation would miskeepone 
day in seven when it was death by the law to do so. By some it is 
contended that one day in seven will do for rest whether it is the 
seventh day of the week or no. Suppose the children of Israel had 
changed the day of rest while in the wilderness and kept the first day 
of the week, would that have changed the falling of the manna and 
caused it to fall on the seventh, and withheld it on the first? No ! but 
it would have thrown them all under the sentence of death, for God- 
changes not and heaven and earth shall pass away, but his word shall 
not pass away. Christ said, "till heaven and earth pass, one jot or 
tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled." Matt, v, 
18. Then if that commandment of the law has not been fulfilled, it 
has not passed away ; it stands just, holy, and good, and the penalty, if 
transgressed, is death — -as I before mentioned, it is spiritual death, for 
the law is spiritual, and the transgression under the new covenant will 
be spiritual trangression, for if that law don't stand in the morning of 
the resurrection, there will be no law that will, and where there is no 
law T there will be no transgression. Many give ii as their opinion, that 
"one of the greatest reasons for keeping the Lord's day is the para- 



i 



6 



mount consideration that it is commemorative of the resurrection of 
J esus Christ." It might have been held forth as a type or a symbol of 
the resurrection of Jesus Christ, but as such I cannot see how the Sab- 
bath of the Lord, which was given hundreds of years before the resur- 
rection of Jesus Christ, could call to remembrance that which had not 
happened, or celebrate with honor and solemnity a day that had not 
come. If the Sabbath was such a type or symbol, then was the Sab- 
bath fulfilled; for when the substance is received the type or figure, 
should fall. Natural sacrifices were typical of the great spiritual sac- 
rifice until that great event happened; then the type fell, because the 
object ceased to exist. So if the seventh day Sabbath has been fulfilled, it 
should not be kept up any longer, for if the law is fulfilled it is done away. 
To further illustrate this matter. In the cultivation of the mind of 
man to external things, the first process seems to be impressions made 
through sensitive organs, which produces imagination, but byafurther 
process on the internal functions of the mind, brings it to intellect or 
comprehension, which supercedes imagination. Even so in the culti- 
vation of the mind of man concerning spiritual things. They were 
first taught by a symbolizing law to imagination in the law dispensa- 
tion, but through a process of faith in the Gospel of Christ, the mind 
is brought to comprehend spiritual things, the substance of the Leviti- 
cal law in Christ, which is spiritual knowledge. For we find that 
Christendom was first enlightened concerning spiritual substances by 
ordinances or symbols which were given as a law, and those ordinances 
or the symbolizing law were given, to be removed by another process, 
that the Church of Christ might attain to a state of perfection which 
gives rest from ordinances, through faith in their spiritual substances 
in Christ, As we have said, the weekly Sabbath is an ordinance of long- 
standing, and has undergone many enthusiastic changes, but when we 
appeal to the sacred writ on this subject, we cannot find any grounds 
for a radical change, until it is removed by receiving of its substance, 
and we find that when Paul's letter was written to the Hebrews, that 
the rest which the seventh day Sabbath signified, still remained as a 
promise to the people of God, for he said in the iv. chapter and Oth 
verse, there remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. Though 
he said, we which have believed do enter into rest, showing that rest is 
received through faith. But he said to the Hebrews, let us fear lest a 
promise being left us of entering into his rest any of you should come 
short of it. The strictness of the law of ordinances in the Israelite 
dispensation was intended to show that there should not be any lack or 
defect in our faith in spiritual substances which are full pure and holy 
in Christ's fulfillment. Therefore Christ is the end of the law for 
righteousness to every one that will believe, and he is a rest to every 
sin wearied soul that relies fully on his merits. Those that hold forth 
evidence to the world should be very careful that it is true, for as light 
is to the eye so is evidence to the understanding. If we rely on false 
evidence, we are losers in taking error for truth; even so by ordi- 
nances or symbols, which only point or lead to the truth, therefore 
we should be careful to sift evidence for ourselves, much more for 
others, and not mistake ordinances or symbols for substances. I am 
bound to believe, from seeing so many different sects in the world, 
each claiming to be right and each differing from one another, that 
all cannot be right, and hence one must examine the evidence on which 
each sect bases its claim to superiority, and judge of its merits by the 



7 



Gospel of Christ and not by sectarianism. It will not do, as is too 
often the ease "to draw upon one's fancy for his facts," for with mat- 
ters of religious faith it is highly important that false teachers have 
nothing to do. Thousands are deceived by holding on to shadows and 
false pictures, and hearing fair speeches, and are thus induced to close 
their eyes and ears against truth. Truth is often kept down because 
there is no prospect of its success, but let the prospect of success be 
o-ood and it will cause many to believe and to act. Many believe Sun- 
day is the seventh day of the week, and others believe the word "Sun 
day" signifies the Sabbath and condemn those ideas by evidence, and 
many will say all the wisest of the people kept Sunday and I do not 
Avant to be different from all. Wo to that great bribe that has oppressed 
nations, delusion clothed in pride ! Had we not better differ in truth 
than to concur with thousands in error? The great way to suppress 
error is to set forth sacred writ before the world, that light may shine, 
that faith may abound through the word of God ? What is the Sabbath 
according to the word of God ? It seems that God saw fit in his divine 
wisdom to end his work and rest on the seventh day from all his work 
which he had made, Gen. ii, 2, and God gave the same commandment 
to the Israelites by the mouth of Moses, that they should rest on the 
seventh day from all their works ; the Lord blessed the Sabbath day 
and hallowed it, Ex. xx, 8, 10, 11, also was written by the finger of God 
on tables of stone and laid up in the ark of the covenant, Ex. xxxi, 18, 
Deut. x, 1 to 6, the Sabbath the Lord gave unto the Israelites to be a 
sign between him and them that they might know that he was the 
Lord that sanctified them, Ezek. xx, 12, 20, a sign that the Lord would 
sanctify them. ' In what way we will goto Paul's writings for evidence, 
Heb. iv, 9, " There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God." 
If it was a sign that the Lord would sanctify his church with a day»of 
rest, which I am bound from the word of God to believe the Sabbath 
signifies, has the church of God received that day of rest or not ? I 
am bound from, the word of God to believe that she has not or Paul 
would not have charged the Gentiles after they were grafted into 
Christ through faith, to labor to enter into that rest lest any man should 
fall after the same example of unbelief, Heb. iv, 11. I do not contend 
for a rest from physical labor, for according to the predictions of the 
prophets, in the time of the enjojnuents of the great blessings of that 
happy era, they will build houses and inhabit them, and plant vineyards 
and eat the fruit of them, Isaiah Ixv, 21, but I contend for a perfect 
rest from all ordinances which were required on the account of sin, 
through faith in the fulfilment of them in Christ. Paul stating this 
rest still remaineth to the people of God, gives evidence that it should 
be sought for by the church, the same as his warning which was given 
in the eleventh chapter of Komans where he charged them to fear lest 
they shall be cut off and the natural branches grafted in again. The 
Israelites were broken off on account of unbelief and those that were 
broken off received not that day of rest, but fell for the lack of faith. 
Should not the Gentiles fear lest they should fall in like manner, and 
the natural branches be grafted in again, for God is able to do it ? If 
the Sabbath signifies a- day of rest to the people of God and they have 
not received it, should not the day that God has given for a sign be 
kept, and not another day, lest it should not have the right significa- 
tion, and should serve to darken instead of enlighten ? We should not 
hold the truth of God in unrighteousness; lest this wrath should come 



8 



upon us ; for he that is entered into his rest, be also hath ceased from 
his own works as God did from his. What kind of works was this 
alluding to ? I believe from the tenor of the "scriptures it was alluding 
to the works that were required by the Levitical law — the law that was 
added on account of transgression, until the seed should come which 
was Christ. The law requiring natural service was added until the 
seed should come for the law in its nature was spiritual; and if the law 
had been a natural law then natural performances would have fulfilled 
it, but the natural fulfilment of it only served until Christ came and 
fulfilled it spiritually. Therefore it was alludmg to that labor which 
was accepted as the fulfilment of a spiritual law until the seed should 
come, which was Christ, Gal. iii, 19, for 1 believe all the works that 
were required of man in the service of God, was leading them to faith 
in the fulfilment of them in Christ, that we might live through faith in 
the Son of God; for it is not of works lest any man should boast. 
" Through works, those under the old covenant were extricated from 
under condemnation by holding forth those types or figures until they 
were fulfilled ;" therefore they were " kept shut up into the faith which 
should afterwards be revealed," Gal. iii, 23, " wherefore the law was 
our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ that we might be justified 
through faith." Under the Gospel covenant wo are " all the children 
of God through faith in Christ Jesus." Gal. iii, 23 — 26. 

Though the apostle Paul wrote at the time of the ushering in of this 
covenant and said, one man esteemeth one day above another ; another 
esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his 
own mind. He that regardeth the clay, regardeth it unto the Lord 
and he that regardeth not the day to the Lord, he doth not regard it. 
.Rom. xiv, 5, 6. 

The apostle Paul wrote these words unto his Eoman brethren, not to 
the world. All would do well if we should notice why among the 
brethren one man esteemeth one day above another; and why another 
esteemeth every day alike. He that regardeth the day regardeth it 
unto the Lord. And why do some regard a day to the Lord ? In obe- 
dience to God's commands ; for God gave this command that man 
should regard certain days unto him, such as the seventh day Sabbath, 
with many other Sabbaths: therefore some men regard them in obe- 
dience to the command ©f God, just as Moses through obedience built 
the tabernacle according to the pattern shown him in the mount, and 
worshipped therein according to the Levitical priesthood. Why did 
others regard not the day to the Lord? Why, it may be asked in re- 
ply, don't men observe that earthly tabernacle, and worship God ac- 
cording to the Levitical priesthood as God once required ? Because, 
they were ordinances and have been done away by receiving the sub- 
stance through faith ; and in the same way, those that regarded not 
the day to the Lord, regarded it not, because they had received the 
substance through faith. The apostle Paul to the Romans, xiv, 1, 2, 
plainly shows degrees in faith: « Him that is weak in the faith re- 
ceive ye : for one believeth that he may eat all things, another who is 
weak/eateth herbs : let not him that eateth despise him that eateth 
not, and let not him which eateth not judge him that eateth." The 
apostle here no doubt was speaking of faith and we may conclude that 
those who regarded the clay, or ordinance, were weak in faith and 
therefore eat herbs. They that regarded not the day eat all things : 
that is, they viewed with an eye of faith the substance of all ordinances 



9 



which were instituted in the first church. Well might Paul say then, 
" we which have believed do enter into rest," Heb iv, 3. For this rest 
from ordinances no doubt is received through faith. Therefore be it 
known, I regard not the day which was given as an ordinance, or a 
figure of that day of rest that was promised to the people of God, be- 
lieving I am enjoying the substance thereof through faith. Though I 
have regarded that day unto the Lord for about seven years, in the 
strictest manner, henceforth I expect to regard no day above another; 
only I think it is right for the saints to meet to break bread, and not to 
neglect the assembling of themselves together, as we are admonished 
to do; and as worship should be the utmost object in our minds, the 
first day of the week I think would be a proper day for that purpose, 
and it seems evident to me it was for that cause the first day of the 
week was first observed in Christian worship, and not as a Sabbath. 

"Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace but 
of debt, but to him that worketh not but believethon him that justifieth 
the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness." I live in hope the 
time will come when believers will rest from natural labor in the ser- 
vice of God, which were figures or types of that spiritual work which 
was fulfilled in Christ; for all the work that was required of us for the 
remission of sins or that our sins might be remitted, was fulfilled in 
Christ that we might be justified through faith in Him, and that he 
might be our righteousness, and that our righteousness which we pre- 
sent to God may be the imputed righteousness of Christ: and that we 
might present it to God through faith in Elis Son. 



WHAT IS THE SABBATH? 

For an explanation we will quote this passage : "In thy seed shall 
the nations of the earth be blessed," Gen. xxii, 18. Paul, explaining 
this passage, shows that the blessing was not in the natural seed, but 
in the spiritual seed. Likewise when we examine all ordinances, the 
virtue of them is found not in the natural ordinance, but in the spiritual 
substance which the ordinance was designed to represent or lead our 
minols to. Consider, for we find "Things which are seen were not made 
of things which do appear," Heb. xi, 3. Therefore, the ordinances 
which did belong to the house of Goa were not made of spiritual sub- 
stances which did appear, but there were given natural types or figures, 
to lead the mind of man to spiritual substances, or to those things 
which do appear. For instance: the natural promise of the- land of 
Canaan was an ordinance of that heavenly Canaan; even so by the 
Levitical law in all its branches, which was a figure of its fullness in 
Christ, for that which is performed naturally in the service of God, 
cannot be anything more. Therefore the natural Sabbath could not be 
more than an ordinance or figure of that rest that remaineth for the 
people of God, which rest the children of Israel received not, on the 
account of unbelief, which shows that if they had received the substance 
through faith, they would have entered into that rest, but they rejected 
Christ, in whom it pleased the Father that all fullness dwell, Col. i, 19. 
If the fullness of the ordinance of the seventh day Sabbath is in Christ, 
should we not hold "the substance according to the strict requirements 
of the ordinance. The seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy 
2 



10 



God, in it thou shalt not do any work, Ex. xx ; 10, Deut. v, 14. Show- 
ing that in the substance of this ordinance stood the. spiritual require- 
ment of the commandment. Therefore, when the time came when the 
children of Israel should enter into that requirement, they cleaved to 
their works which were the ordinances in the service of God and they 
were broken off in unbelief for refusing to keep the substance of the 
commandment through faith. Therefore it shows that the command- 
ment is complied with, through faith by resting from ordinances, and 
not b} T the performance of the ordinance any more than the command 
of a sacrifice for sin was fulfilled by the Levitical priesthood which was 
only a figure of its great fullness in Christ. For the law did not take 
away sin, but the bringing in of a better hope did. The word says, 
" grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus 
Christ," II Peter iii, 18. We should examine what way the church has 
ever taken a growth in grace; it has been from ordinances to faith in 
their spiritual substance in Christ, and the Gentile church now stands 
before the Israelite church by a growth in grace, resting from the sac- 
rificial ordinance through 'faith in the great sacrifice in Christ: which 
is grace or unmerited favor. The church should not stop at a growth 
in grace, by only resting from a sacrificial offering, but should, strive to 
enter into full rest by a growth in like manner from the ordinances 
now held forth in the worship of God which have been fulfilled in 
Christ, the same as that part of the law that required a sacrificial offer- 
ing has been fulfilled. For if we are to keep the Sabbath spiritually 
hol) T ; let us not be guilty in one point rind, bring spiritual condemnation 
on ourselves as the man that offended in one point by gathering sticks 
on the Sabbath ordinance, and suffered the natural punishment of the 
law by being stoned to death. If the Gentile church has begun a 
growth in grace, let them press on to a perfect rest through faith in 
Christ, who has met the full demands of all the requirements which 
were held forth in ordinances on the aceount of sin • and let them be 
not high minded, but fear, for if God spared not the natural branches 
for not receiving this rest, take heed lest he also spare not thee to see 
the time spoken of by the prophets and the time Christ taught his dis- 
ciples to pray the Father, " Thy kingdom come, thy will be done in 
earth as it is in heaven," Matt, vi, 10; Lukexi,2. These words signify 
that there will be a time on earth when God's kingdom will come and 
his will be done on earth as it is in heaven. The prophet Isaiah, xi, 9, 
speaks of a time when u the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the 
Lord as the waters cover the sea." Daniel ii, 44, says " in the days of 
these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom which shall never 
be destroyed, and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it 
shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms and it shall stand 
forever." In the comparison of those kingdoms; verse 35; " they be- 
came like the chaff of a summer threshing floor, and the wind carried 
them away that no place was found for them." When this stone that 
smote the image fills the whole earth and the saints possess the king- 
dom (for I believe that all kingdoms have been ruled by wicked men) 
then, as Isaiah says, lxv, 21, " they shall build houses and inhabit them; 
and they shall plant vineyards and eat the fruit of them. And they 
shall beat their swords into plough shares and their spears into pruning 
hooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they 
learn war any more." Isaiah ii, 4 : " The wolf also shall dwell with, 
the lamb and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and 



11 



the young lion and tho failing together." Isaiah xi, 6 : " They shall 
not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain : for the earth shall be 
full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea." Yerse 
9. And we shall sing the song of Moses and the Lamb, which is the law 
and the gospel, and come to see c} T e to eye and speak tho truth as it is 
in Christ Jesus, when we shall all be taught of the Lord from the least 
to the greatest, and when Satan shall be bound and shall deceive the 
nations no more for a thousand j^ears. When God's people shall rest 
from all the ordinances which were required on the account of sin, 
through faith in the fulfilment of them in Christ, and when they shall 
be enabled by a growth in grace to give God the glory due to him 
through the righteousness of his son Jesus Christ. 
Wayne County, Ky., 1846. 



TO THE EVANGELICAL ALLIANCE. 



I find in the speech of Rev. Dr. Baird, Corresponding Seeretaiy of 
the Evangelical Society of the U. S., delivered in the World's Conven- 
tion held in London on 19th August, 1846, in Exeter Hall, Christ's 
words: "Onefold and one shepherd-" John x, 16. I am bound to 
believe there is but one church in the world, and that it takes all the 
true believers in Christ to constitute the true church of Christ; and to 
see the church moved on by the spirit to come to one fold, brings this 
passage to my view, where Christ spake a parable: "Behold the fig 
tree, and all the trees, when they now shoot forth ye see and know of 
your ownseives that summer is now nigh at hand — so likewise ye, when 
ye see these things come to pass know ye that the kingdom of God is 
nigh at hand." Luke xxi, 29, 30, 31. When we see the church of God 
moved on by his spirit to press to one fold, it is a striking evidence to 
us that the time that Christ taught his disciples to pray for, and the 
time many saints have prayed for since, is now at hand : "Our Father 
which art in heaven, hallowed bo thy name, thy kingdom come, thy 
will be done in earth as it is in heaven." I can't believe that it is our 
heavenly Father's will that there should remain divisions and subdi- 
visions in his church, but that they should come to one fold and one 
shepherd; but I am bound to believe all the prophecies that have not 
been fulfilled will be fulfilled, and that there will besome fulfilled before 
God's children come to one fold and one shepherd. I believe the pro- 
phecy of Joel iii, 9, 10, when it says " proclaim ye this among the 
Gentiles, prepare war, wake up the mighty men, let all the men of war 
draw near, let them come up, beat your ploughshares into swords and 
your pruning hooks into spears : let the weak say I am strong," will 
be fulfilled before the prophecies of Isaiah ii, 4, where it says, "they 
shall beat their swords into ploughshares, their spears into pruning 
hooks, nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they 
learn war any more." For John in his Eevelation xv, 2,3, says "I saw 
as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire, and them that had gotten 
the victory over the beast and over his image and over his mark and 
over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass having their 
harps of gold, and they sing the song of Moses the servant of God and 
the song of the Lamb;" which I believe will be the law and the gos- 
pel. Though the sea of glass mingled with fire, and a victory to be 
gained, denote a happy era to be obtained through a great desolation, 
the same as other Prophets have spoken, concerning the reception of 
that happy era called Millennium. When we all eorne to one fold and 
one shepherd it is reasonable to suppose that there will be no need for 
swords or spears : for the. watchmen shall see eye to eye when the Lord 
snail bring again Zion. Isa. ivii, 8. The fold of God is his church and 
God constitutes first his churcii by giving them the promises and the 
laws, and the church that the promises and the laws were given unto; 
was divided into twelve tribes which were called after the twelve sons 
of Jacob, that the great power and goodness of God might be made 
known unto the sons and daughters of men: And they bore the right- 



eousnoss of tho church through typos or figures which served to sane- 
tify to the punishing of the flesh. Heb. ix, 13. For they were under 
the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revea^d: 
wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that 
we might be justified through faith. Gal. iii, 23, 24. The law covenant 
had a natural promise and a statute law and a Levitical law. Now 
when one became a transgressor of the statute law, they were no more 
heirs of the promise of the land of Canaan ; but under the sentence of 
the plagues that were pronounced of God against transgressors of that 
law.. Now to become extricated from that dilemma they had to per- 
form according to the requirements of the Levitical law, to become 
heirs again according to the promise. 

This was the law covenant- which was sealed by circumcision, and 
was kept by works; bat it only served to purify the flesh, not the con- 
science, which was acceptable to God until the substance of those ordi- 
nances come; and they served to lead the understanding of the human 
mind to the substance, these few lines past are on, which is called by 
some the old covenant. I will go forth to speak of the substance or 
the new covenant. Though the promise which was given to Abraham 
was performed in a natural way, the substance was spiritual; now to 
Abraham and his seed were the promises made, he saith not "and to 
seeds as of many," but as of one and to thy seed which is Christ. Gal. 
iii. 16. God speaking to Abraham, said " in thee shall all families of 
the earth be blessed." Gen. xii. 3. That is in the promised Mesiah 
all the families of the earth should be blessed; therefore by the offence 
of one, judgment came upon all to condemnation even so by the right- 
eousness of one the free gift came upon all men to justification of life; 
Kom. v. 1, 8,' for since by man came death, by man came also the res- 
urrection of the dead, for as in Adam all died even so in Christ shall 
all be made alive. 1 Cor. xv. 21, 22. All the human family has the 
promise of another life through the resurrection of Christ, but what 
will make the order in the morning of the resurrection. 1 Cor. xv. 
21. Where no law is there is no transgression. Bom. iv. 14; and if 
there is no law that will stand in the morning of the resurrection, 
there will be no transgression in the morning of the resurrection as 
the natural seed of Abraham had the promise of the land of Canaan 
and all its blessings and a law given that they should keep or they 
should not receive the blessings of the promise. If there had not a 
law been given, one that was a committer of those things that were 
forbidden by the law would have had as great a right to the promise 
of Canaan as one that had not committed those acts; even so in the 
likeness, of this figure in the spiritual promise of another life through 
the resurrection of Christ, and all the blessings heaven itself can afford. 
If there is no law annexed to this promise, the thief and the murderer 
will have as great a right to the spiritual promise as one that had not 
committed those acts ; but after this promise was given there was a 
law annexed to it, that which was spiritual, Bom. viii. 15, or it never 
could have been annexed to the spiritual promise. It was written on 
tables of stone and laid up in the ark of the covenant and styled a 
covenant as well as the ark. Ex. xxxi. 18, Deut. x. 1 to 6, iv. 13, v. 2 
to 23, ix. 9, 11, 15. This law is called the ten commandments, the pro- 
mise as given to all in this life and so is the law, and when we become 
violaters of this law we are no more heirs of the promise, but bring on 
ourselves the sentence of eternal death, by transgression, except we 



14 



become extricated from this forfeiture through faith in Christ, when 
the Israelites become violators under the first covenant, they had to 
perform the work of the Levitical law, to become extricated from the 
sentence they had brought themselves under by transgression, that 
they might become heirs according to the promise of Canaan. This 
was only a figure of the great work that was fulfilled in Christ : that 
we, according to the new covenant after we become violators of that 
spiritual law, may become extricated from condensation through faith 
in the great fulfilment of this work in Christ and sealed heirs again by 
the spirit according to the promise of eternal life. For Christ has met 
the demands of the law, that are required for spiritual sin which the 
Levitical law was a figure of These are they which constitute the 
fold of God, which are in the spiritual promised covenant, which are 
heirs in Christ, not heirs again according to the Levitical law, but heirs 
again through faith in the fulfilment of the substance of that law. The 
stone that the builders rejected has become the head of the corner. What 
builders? The builders of the fold of Cod and the faith in Christ, for it was 
through those figures or types, the Gentiles were led to the substance, 
that they might stand justified through faith not of works, lest any 
man should boast. These promises and works which only served as 
types or figures or shadows to lead to the substance, become so ground- 
ed on the hearts of those that held them forth, that they become as a 
veil over their understanding until it darkened their minds so they re- 
jected the substance and that against themselves, (one that runs after 
the shadow not in view of the substance has a wearisome race.) The 
substance has done away the veil. The evidence, 2 Cor. iii. 14, the veil 
divided between the holy place and the most holy in the temple. Ex. 
xxvi. 33. The holy place belonged to the work of the first covenant 
and the most holy was that which signified that the way into the holi- 
est of all was not yef made manifest. Heb. ix. 7, 8, when Christ was 
crucified ; that the way into the holiest of all should be made manifest 
the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom. 
Mat. xxvii. 51. Mark xv. 38. And Christ entered into heaven itself to 
accomplish the works of the spiritual covenant for us that the fold of 
God might stand justified through faith. Now when those things were 
accomplished, and the spirit (which was the seal of the church in the 
covenant of Christ) was sent into the world it found no resting place 
in the first branches on account of unbelief. The church or the fold of 
God was styled as a woman that brought forth a man child who was 
to rule all nations with a rod of iron, and her child was caught unto 
God and to his throne, and the woman fled into the wilderness where 
she hath a place prepared of God that they should feed her there a 
thousand two hundred and three score days. Eev. xii. 5, 6. Verse 14 
says, to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle that she 
might fly into the wilderness into her place where she is nourished for 
a time and a half a time. JN T ow when the natural branches received 
not the spirit, which is the seal of the church or fold of God of the 
covenant in Christ, they were broken off on account of unbelief and 
the spirit took its flight to the gentiles, which is styled the wilderness 
where it is nourished by faith by the believing Gentiles. How long 
until the fulness of the gentiles be come in Eomans xi. 25; Luke xxi. 
24. Paul wrote in his letter to the Eom. xi. 20, " because of unbelief 
the Israelites were broken off,'' and shows that the gentiles stand by 
faith and charges them to fear lest they should l^e broken off in unbe- 
lief. ISIow if there were no snare of unbelief set for the gentiles, why 



15 



need Paul charge them to watch? (And Christ spoke of the fulness 
of the gentiles, Luke xxi. 24.) What was the veil that was over the 
eyes of the unbelieving Israelites? Works in the service of God, be- 
lieving they could fulfil that which was required of them, therefore it 
showed unbelief in them in the great fulfilment of that work in Christ, 
for the fulness of all things that were required for sin of man was ac- 
complished in the great work which was fulfilled in Christ that we 
might rest from works in the service of God through faith in Christ 
and be justified before God through faith in his Son. Is there no work 
in the service or worship of God as a veil over the understanding of 
the Gentiles now to cause them to stumble and fall in unbelief, before 
they reach the perfection of that terrestrial fold which is promised to 
the^people of God ? If there is not, why did God say by the mouth of 
the prophet, Isa. xxv.7, that he will destroy in this mountain the face 
ot the covering cast over all people, and the veil that is spread over 
all nations? I-believe that God will cause all believers to rest from 
their labors in the service of God and live through faith in the righte- 
ousness of the Son of God and come to one fold through faith. — What 
• makes the divisions and sub-divisions in the church of God that hin-~ 
ders them from joining as one fold ? It is ordinance or works in those 
figures which, was fulfilled in Christ. I allude most to the ordinance 
of baptism which was fulfilled in Christ. Now the Gentiles-rest 
through faith in Christ according to the requirement of sacrifice, be- 
lieving that Christ has fulfilled that work for them. Should 
they not rest as much from the ordinance of baptism as 
from the ordinance of sacrifices when they both were ful- 
filled in Christ? It may be asked, how was the ordinance of baptism 
. fulfilled in Christ? When jesus came unto John to be baptized of- him 
" : John forbade him, saying "I have need to be baptized of thee, and 
comest thou to me ? — Jesus answering, said unto him, suffer it to be so 
now, for thus it becomes us to fulfil all righteousness Mat. iii. 13, 14, 
15 — not when Jesus said as it meant him and John, but the divinity; 
as God said in the beginning, let us make man, Gen. i. 26; that it be- 
ho'oveth the divinity to fulfil all righteousness. Those that sacrifice 
according to the law was offered for, stood spiritually justified in the 
great sacrifice when it was offered. The evidence for this : it is not 
possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sin ; 
Heb. x. 4, for by one offering he hath perfected forever them that are 
sanctified, (14.) There was an offering sacrificed for Christ at eight 
days old, Luke ii. 27, that he might stand justified in the great offer- 
ing when the blood gushed from his side. This was not for himself, 
but for man, that we might stand justified through faith in him, there- 
fore he fulfilled sacrifices and stood in the fulness thereof for us, that 
he might become our righteousness; even so in the ordinance of bap- 
tism. Christ submitted himself to the ordinance of baptism, and ac- 
cording to the requirements of the law, he came to fulfil, was washed 
or overwhelmed in the ordinance, that when the water ushered from 
his side he might stand vrashed or overwhelmed in it, to fulfil the law T 
for us ; for the law required the priests to be washed and put on the 
robe that prefigured the robe of righteousness, that they might stand 
for the people. This figure denoted that Christ should be washed and 
put on the robe of righteousness for us, that we may stand washed 
and clothed through faith in Christ, for the law was a schoolmaster to 
bring us to Christ. All things that were required of man for sin, sure- 
ly were fulfilled in Christ that we might stand fully justified through 



16 



faith,, not part works and part faith, for Paul wrote, if by grace, then 
is it no more of works, otherwise grace is no more grace, otherwise 
works are no more works, Rom. xi. 6. The word says, " now to him 
that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace but of debt; but to 
him that worketh not, but believeth on Him that justifieth the ungod- 
ly, his faith is counted for righteousness/' Rom. iv. 4, 5, for Christ has 
become the minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle which 
the Lord pitched and not man, Heb. viii. 2, this is he that I have been 
speaking of that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ, not by 
water only, but by water and blood, and it is the spirit that beareth 
witness, because the spirit is truth, 1 John v. 6. The word says with- 
out the shedding of blood there is no remission. And again it says, 
you must be born again of the water and of the spirit. Jesus Christ 
came by water and blood, and the spirit beareth witness. 1st John, v. 
6. Xow, if we receive Christ, through faith for our righteousness 
and are sealed by the spirit, do we not come through faith in him in the 
same way to a newness of birth, and fulfil the demands ? Yes, even 
that of love, for the spirit is love — receive ye the spirit by the works 
of the law or by the hearing of faith? Faith is revealed from faith* 
unto faith, and if we receive Christ Jesus, through faith our righte- 
ousness without the law or our works, the word says, " as you receive 
Chsist Jesus, so walk ye in him, for ye are washed, ye are sanctified, 
ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus aed by the spirit of our 
God." 1st Cor. vi, 11. There are three that bear witness in earth, 
the spirit, the water, and the blood, and these three agree in one. If 
we receive the witress of men, the witness of God is greater, for this 
is the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son, he that be. 
lieveth on the. Son of God, hath the witness in himself. Witness of 
what ? that Jesus Christ came by water and blood, for we have received 
newness of life in that way, for we received the spirit, the seal of the 
covenant in Christ, through faith in Christ, for by one spirit are we all 
baptized into one body. 1st. Cor. v. 11, 13. This spirit spoken of here 
is one of the seven spirits of God. Rev. iii, 1, or the oil of one of the 
seven lamps. Rev. iv. 5, or the light of one of the golden candle-sticks, 
or one of the seven seals, Rev. v. 1, which was one ol the seven 
works, which were fulfilled in Christ to open the way of life and sal- 
vation for sinful man, that God might be just in justifying them that 
believe in Jesus. What is the witness of God which he has testified 
of his Son ? This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus 
Christ, 1st John v. 8, 9, and he that believeth not God hath made 
him a liar, because he believeth not the record that God gave of 
his Son. I will just ask for further consideration, who are the}' that 
do believe the record which God has given of his Son? that he 
came by water and blood I or who is still determined to count him a 
liar concerning those great requirements that were set forth by the 
Levitical law, and by their great fulfilments which were accomplished in 
Christ? which seems sufficient to convince a thousand worlds, and es- 
tablish them through faith in those important truths, which he has set 
before them for life and salvation. This is the record that God hath 
given to us, eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son 
hath life, and he that hath not the Son of God, hath not life. 1st John 
v. 10,11,12. Receive ye this life through faith or by works ? Through 
faith. I will quote this again, as ye receive Christ Jesus so walk ye in 
him. 



17 



For the spiritual ibid of God has become dead to the law, that thoy should 
be married to another, even to him that is raised from the dead, to the end 
that we should bring forth fruit to God, and that fruit is love. These 
are they which constitute the fold of God, they which are sealed by 
his spirit, sealed heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ and that seal 
is love. There is no natural union enjoyed on earth like those enjo}- 
that are espoused in love, yet this is but a feeble type of that great 
union between Christ and his church, that great heavenly bridegroom 
and his earthy spouse he gave himself for, and then transfers himself 
to his bride, and they by a living covenant, are united in love and 
union that are unspeakable and full of glory. It is like the showers 
that rise from the ocean and descend and flow to the branches, thence 
to the other streams, thence back to the great fountain from whence 
it came. That love that we receive through faith in Christ, is like 
showers in the breast that water the heart with love, that flows to the 
brethren thence back to God that great fountain of love. This is that 
faith that works by love and purines the heart, which forms within us, 
that enduring principle of pure religion and christian righteousness, 
which is much neglected. For ye are all the children of God through 
faith in Christ, the spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit that 
we are the children of God, and if children then heirs, heirs of God 
andjoint heirs with Christ. 

Christ is the shepherd of the celestial fold, who has manifested his great 
pow r er to the world, first by his personal acts, since through witnesses, 
who have performed great works in his name by the power they had re- 
ceived of him. Cannot Christ manifest his power as weli no ,v through 
witnesses as he did in the days of old, and establish a terrestial fold I 
He will, according to his word, where the church is styled a woman, 
which brought forth a man child who was to rule all nations with a rod 
of iron, and her child was caught up unto God and to his throne, .Rev, 
xii, 4, 5, which was Christ. Well Christ says, speaking to one in the 
fourth church of the seven (which I believe was seven eras) " and he 
that overcometh and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I 
give power over the nations : and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: 
as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers ; even as I re. 
ceived of my Father. And I will give him the morning star," Rev. ii, 
26, 27, 28. I believe this witness spoken of will be that Shepherd, 
John x, 16; Ez. xxxvii, xxxiv, 23; in other words, that Deliverer, Ko- 
mans vi, 26; or Judge, Isa. xxviii, 6, ii, 4, xi, 3, 4; and as spoken of in 
many other places in the prophecies, Christ was prophecied to come 
before the dispersion of the Israelites into all nations, or before the 
destruction of Israel; and this shepherd or deliverer as prophesied to 
come at the restoration of Israel. In Ez. xxxiv, 23, this shepherd is 
styled David and Shepherd both, and in the same chapter, the fold of 
God is mentioned also : 14th verse says, concerning the fold, « I will 
feed them in a good pasture, and upon the high mountains of Israel 
shall their fold be; there shall they iie in a good fold, and in a fat pas- 
ture shall they feed upon the mountains of Israel." God says, " there- 
fore will I save my flock and they shall no more be a prey : and I will 
judge between cattle and cattle. And I will set up one shepherd over 
them, and he shall feed them, even my servant David; he shall feed 
them, and he shall be their shepherd, and I the Lord will be their God, 
and my servant David a prince among them : I the Lord have spoken 
it. And I will make with them a covenant of peace, and will cause the 



18 



evil beasts to cease out of the land; and they shall dwell safely in the 
wilderness, and sleep in the woods. And I will make them and the 
places round about my hill a blessing: and will cause the shower to 
come down in his season : there shall be showers of blessing. And the 
tree of the field shall yield the fruit, and the earth shall yield her in- 
crease, and they shall be safe in their land, and shall know that I am 
the Lord, when I have broken the bands of their yoke, and delivered 
them out of the hands of those that served themselves of them. And 
they shall no more be a prey to the heathen, neither sha'l the beast of 
the land devour them : but they shall dwell safely and none shall make 
them afraid. And I will raise up for them a plant of renown, and they 
shall be no more consumed with hunger in the land, neither bear the 
shame of the heathen an}' more. Thus shall they know that I the Lord 
their God am with them, and that they, even the house of Israel, are 
my people, saith the Lord God. And ye my flock, the flock of my pas- 
ture, are men, and I am vour God saith the Lord God. Ez. xxxiv, 22 
to 31. - 

This fold will not be of the old fold, that is not of the old covenant, 
or that God will bless them through the covenant which they have bro- 
ken and now bearing the reproach for it. But God has promised them 
he will make a new covenant with them on conditions that they abide 
not in unbelief, and that all the tribes of Israel shall corneas one tribe 
and God will be unto *hfefti a God and they shall be unto him a people. 
It is right this should be, that the figure or shadow of God's wcrks 
should be fulfilled in them, that the human family may know that the 
substance of those things are sure. If that first covenant had not been 
faultless, there should noplace have been sought for the second, Kom. 
viii, 7; and if the old covenant had not have been done away there 
would not have been any promise of the new, and when the first was 
done away if th« second had not have been given, they would have 
ceased to have been a people before the Lord. Even so with the cove- 
nant that was made with man in the beginning. If that first life had 
been faultless, man would not have been made subject to vanity, but it 
being faulty, man was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by 
reason of him who subjected the same in hope, and when man broke 
the first covenant with God, if the promise of no other life had been 
given to man, the human family would have ceased to be a people be- 
fore the Lord, and none of them could ever have enjoyed heaven, that 
great city the holy Jerusalem, or the blessings of eternal life: that 
which is promised to the bride, the lamb's wife, the great fold in Christ. 
iMbw if these people have borne the image of the first state of man, is 
it not reasonable they should bear the image of the second, that great 
fold and that great shepherd ? They have fallen as man did in their 
own strength, but will be revived again in the strength of the Lord. 
And as the great fold of God is scattered in all nations, and tossed as 
in a tempest, yet shall they be gathered to a celestial body, to one fold 
and one shepherd. And for them to bear this figure, they had to be a 
scattered people to all nations and suffer by being afflicted, tossed with 
tempest and not comforted ; is not God able to fulfil his word and re- 
deem them and cause them to return and come with singing unto Zion 
with everlasting joy, and cause sorrow and mourning to flee away from 
them, Isa. ii, 11, and bless them with one fold and one shepherd? 



ON THE AUTHORITY WHEREBY THE ORDINANCE OF 
BAPTISM IS KEPT UP. 



Where is the evidence upon which the ordinance of baptism is kept 
up, that it should spread as a veil over the eyes of the Gentiles as 
it does? The great strength of that belief arises from the com- 
mandment Christ gave the eleven apestles, which they fulfilled. St. 
Matthew's quotation of the commandment says, " And Jesus came 
and spake unto them saying, all power is given unto me in heaven and 
in earth, go ye, therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the 
name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost ; teaching 
them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you, and lo, 
I am with you alway even unto the end of the world. Mat. xxviii. 
18, 19, 20. St. Mark's quotation of the same commandment. And he 
said unto them, go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every 
creature, he that believeth and is baptized, shall be saved, but he that 
believeth not shall be damped, Mark xvi. 15, 16 St. Luke's quota- 
tion of the same is, "then opened he their understanding that they 
- might understand the scriptures and said unto them, thus it is written 
and thus it behooveth Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the 
third^ day, and that repentance and submission of sins should be 
preached tfi his name among all nations beginning at Jerusalem. And 
ye are witnesses of these things, and behold I send you the promise of 
my Father upon you, but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem until you 
be endued with power from on high. Luke xxiv. 45 to 50. Another 
quotation of"the same in the Acts i 8, " ye shall receive power after 
that the Holy Ghost is come upon you, and ye shall be witnesses unto 
the uttermost part of the earth." From the commandment Christ 
gave the eleven Apostles, it seems that they were chosen to be witness- 
es of Christ, and they were first to be indued with power from on 
high ; then we should notice the power they were endued with to 
make them competent witnesses of Christ. We will take Christ's 
words to Peter, "and I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom 
of heaven and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth, shall be bound in 
heaven, and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth, shall be loosed in 
heaven/' Mat. xvi. 19. Christ spake again to his disciples and said, " as 
my father hath sent me, even so I send you," and when he had said 
this he breathed on them and saith unto them, receive ye the Holy 
Ghost — whosoever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them, and 
whosoever sins ye retain, they are retained. John xx. 21, 22, 23. Now 
when the apostles had waited and received the power according to the 
promise of Christ, what was their words? "Therefore let all the 
house of Israel know assuredly that God hath made that same Jesus 
whom ye have crucified both Lord and Christ v — now when they heard 
this they were pricked in the heart and said to Peter and to the rest of 
the apostles, men and brethren what shall we do — then Peter said un- 
to them, repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Je- 



20 



sua Christ for the remission of sins and you shall receive the gift of 
the Holy Ghost. John the baptist came preaching the baptism of re- 
pentance for the remission of sins. iii. 3; and to go before the face of 
the Lord to prepare his ways, to give knowledge of salvation unto his 
people by the remission of their sins through the tender mercies of our 
God. Luke i. 76, 77, 78. If John gave knowledge of salvation unto 
his people by the remission of their sins through baptism of repen- 
tance, through the tender mercy of our God, that is through the pow- 
er God had given him, that the salvation was in Christ, is it not rea- 
sonable to believe that the apostles could baptize in the name and 
power of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins and bestow the gift of 
the Holy Ghost as witnesses of the great power in Christ? for one 
that does any thing in the name of another does it in his power, for 
Christ gave them that power : whosoever sins they remitted, were re- 
mitted that they might witness to the world, Christ had that power to 
remit sins. The Apostles would not have been competent witnesses 
that Christ possessed the power of healing the sick and opening the 
eyes of the blind, if that power had not been given them of Christ. 
When that power was given them, then they could witness to the 
world that Christ did possess that power; in the same manner they 
would not have been competent witnesses that Christ possessed this 
regenerating power, if this power had not been given them, but when 
they performed this regenerating work in the name of Jesus Christ, 
the same as they wrought miracles of healing in his name, they wit- 
nessed to the world that Jesus Christ did possess regenerating power. 
Christ at one time used spittle and clay to anoint the eyes of one blind 
and told him to wash in the pool of Siloam, and he that was blind 
came seeing; that did not hinder others from receiving the same bless- 
ing through faith in Christ — Christ choosing those means to manifest 
his great power and goodness to the world did not hinder him from 
bestowing the same blessing on others without using those means. 
They were used to witness to the world that others might believe and 
receive the same blessing through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. For 
how could the world call on him in whom they have not believed, and 
how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard, and how 
shall they hear without a witness, and how could they witness except 
they had known these truths themselves? Those that were chosen to 
baptise in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins and be- 
stowed the gift of the Holy Ghost, had to tarry at Jerusalem until 
they were endued with power from on high; who has ever received 
this power since ? Well, if they have not the power they have not 
the right; — some of those that claim the commandment that was 
given to the eleven Apostles, make very light of those that claim the 
power that was given to them. If the right has been handed down 
and bestowed from one to another, surely the power could have come 
in the same way; but I cannot see how either has been handed down, 
for Paul was an Apostle, and he did not claim the commandment that 
was given to the eleven, and he was a preacher of the gospel, lor 
Christ sent him not to baptize but to preach the gospel. 1 Cor. i, 17. 
"'And the eleven were sent to baptize, but they were first to be endued 
with power from on high." Paul baptized some and cir-umcised some, 
and told his cause for doing so, for he said unto the Jews, he became 
as a Jew that he might gain the Jews; to them that are under the 
law ; to them thai are without law, as without law, being not without 



21 



law to God, but under the law to Christ that he might gain them that 
are without law — to the weak became he as weak that ho might gain 
the weak; — he was made all things to all men, that he might by all 
means save some, and this he did for the gospel's sake, that he might 
be partaker thereof with them. 1 Cor. ix, 20 to 24. And Paul was 
the Apostle of the Gentiles, and if Paul could not claim the command- 
ment that was given to the eleven, I cannot see how any of the Gen- 
tile tribe can. How are the preachers of the gospel sent in this dis- 
pensation, by commandment, or by the operation of the spirit ? I am 
bound to say by the operation of the spirit, for we are living in the 
dispensation of the spirit. The Apostles had as much right to claim 
the commandment that God the father gave to Samuel to anoint Saul 
and David and them living under the dispensation of God the Son, as 
those who are living under the dispensation of God the Holy Ghost, to 
claim the commandment, given to those by the Son. Some believe 
where Christ told his disciples that he would be with them to the end 
of the world, it meant that he would be with them and their success- 
ors until the end of time, but the end of the world here does not mean the 
end of time, for Paul wrote to his Roman brethren— their sound 
(speaking of the sound of the gospel) went into all the earth and tneir 
word unto the ends of the world. Rom x, 18. And the gospel was 
preached to every creature which was under heaven. Col. i, 23. There- 
fore the Apostles fulfilled the commandment that was given them, the 
same as Samuel did the commandment that was given to him ; when 
a commandment is fulfilled it has no more demands. This new birth 
that was received through the covenant in Christ, was a mystery to 
both men and Angels. 1 Pet. i, 10, 12. Even the mystery which hath 
been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to 
his saints, to whom God would make known what is the riches of the 
glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you the 
hope of glory. Col. i, 26, 27. For Nicodemus a ruler of the Jews 
marvelled when Christ told him that he must be born again. Now the 
Apostles bore witness to the world of this mystery, that this mystery 
might be manifested to the world which is in Christ. When the Apos- 
tles healed the sick and opened the eyes of the blind in the name of 
Christ, did not that witness to the world that Christ did possess that 
power ? Just so by the new birth which works by love. 



ON EVIDENCE BELIEF AND UNBELIEF. 

For to set forth reasoning on this subject we will state the mind of 
man as a scale or balance, and evidence as weight in a discussion. In 
weighing, the scale has to be exactly balanced to give each weight its 
due, even, so by the mind of man, his design should be to know the 
truth in receiving evidence in a spiritual inquirer, and not let any 
fleshly desire unbalance his design, and then we should examine the 
weight or evidence and see if it has the mark of truth on it, if not, it 
should not be admitted into the scale or discussion, if it has, it should 
have its due weight. Spiritual unbelief is the rejecting of Christ and 
his merits, and treating the report which God gave of his Son as false. 
It is refusing to examine the lorce of evidence and rejecting the light 
of truth, to take an ordinance for its substance, as light is to the eye 



22 



to behold objects, s© is evidence to the understanding to believe or dis- 
believe. As it is written, they would not come unto the light lest 
their deeds should be reproved; that is, they would not believe in 
Christ and his righteousness for following after ordinances. So num- 
bers will not hear evidence, lest they should believe. What is wisdom? 
A belief of the truth. How do we believe the truth? By receiving 
truth, not to our will but to our understanding, for belief or unbelief is 
not the act of the will but of the understanding. How shall we re- 
ceive truth to our understanding, for it cannot create evidence but re- 
ceive it? Shall we go to interest? It blinds us to prejudice — it warps 
us to parties — they mislead us; the enquiry will be, where shall we go 
to obtain it? to unity of opinion. That does not prove a belief to be 
true or that it is founded on a fact, for the great majority ot the hu- 
man family may be all agreed in error or a hundred sects or even two 
cannot be right. All may be erring for there is but one true and liv- 
ing' way, and that is Christ the head of the fold, the substance of all 
types or figures exhibited in the revelation of God, concerning the 
Messiah ; for Christ is the object of all ordinances given in the house 
of God : therefore all the righteousness that we should ascribe to man, 
is justifying faith in the pure righteousness of Christ, which is sufficient 
to redeem a fallen world when applied to believe. 

" Therefore let the earthly seraphic host 
Of glory boast through faith alone." 

For from whence came true testimony? From God the great foun- 
tain of all truth that is conveyed to our understanding. This is the 
fountain that I would recommend to every enquirer for truth, God's 
word. 



ON THE GIFT OF THE NEW COVENANT. 

God gave the promise of a new covenant to the house of Israel, for 
he said " after those days saith the Lord I will put my Jaw in their in- 
ward parts and write it in their hearts, and will be, their God and they 
shall be my people, and they shall teach no more every man his neigh- 
bor and every man his brother, saying know ye tTie Lord, for they shall 
all know me from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith 
the Lord, for. I will forgive their iniquity and I will remember their 
sins no more. Jer. xxxi. 31, 32, 34. God made not this covenant with 
the Gentiles, that he would be to them a God and they should be to 
him.a people, although they were grafted into the gospel covenant 
through faith in Christ, for Christ was the substance of the gospel 
covenant or the rest that the Gentiles through faith was grafted into. 
But the covenant God made with the Gentiles was on conditions : this 
is the covenant that God made with the Gentiles, " behold my servant 
whom I uphold, mine elect in whom my soul delighteth (speaking of 
Christ.) I have put my spirit upon him. he shall bring forth Judgment 
to the Gentiles. I the Lord have called thee in righteousness and will 
'hold thine hand and will keep thee and give thee for a covenant of the 
people, for a light of the Gentiles. Isa. xlii, 1, 6. Ho every one that 
thirsteth, come ye to the waters; and he that hath no rneney, come ye, 



•16 



ouy atitl eat ; yea, come, buy wine and milk, without -money and with- 
out price. Wherefore do you spend money for that which is not bread? 
and your labor for that which satia'fieth not? hearken diligent!}- unto 
me and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fat- 
ness. Incline your ear and come unto me: hear, and £our soul shall 
live : and 1 will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure 
mercies of David. Behold I have given him for a witness to the peo- 
ple, a leader and commander to the people. Behold thou shalt call a 
nation that thou knoweth not, and nations that know not thee shall run 
unto thee, because of the Lord thy God, and for the Holy one of Israel; 
for he hath glorified thee. Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, 
call ye upon him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, 
and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the 
Lord and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God for he will 
abundantly pardon. Isa. Iv, I to 8. I find here this covenant is vx- 
tended on conditions, and they are invited to come without money and 
without price — the same as light and darkness set before them, or good 
or evil, and invited to choose good that they might live. This agrees 
with Paul's charge that they stood through faith, and for them to fear 
lest they should be broken off in unbelief. But this new covenant that 
God said he would make with the house of Israel when he would bring 
them again from their captivity, was that he would be unto them a 
God, and they should be unto him a people. This covenant is applied 
by some only to believing Gentiles, but let any man of reason read the 
chapters where the now covenant is given, and I think he will say it is 
to the dispersed Isrealites, though they are broken off in unbelief, and 
have not received the promise. But the promise is unto them if they 
abide not in unbelief, for God is able to graft them in again. And so 
all Israel shall be saved as it is written, there shall come out of pfoft 
the deliverer and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob, for this is my 
covenant unto them when I shall take away their sins. Eom. xi, 26, 
27. Where is Sion that this deliverer shall come out of? Paul writing 
to the Gentiles says, " as ye in times passed have not believed God, yet 
have now obtained mercy through their unbelief (speaking of the Is. 
raeiites) even so have these also now not believed that through your 
mercy they also may obtain mercy. Eom. xi, 30,31. Like as Christ 
the great fountain of the seven lights that were sent forth to the seven 
churches, arose in Israel, and was transferred to the Gentiles on the 
account of unbelief in Israel, even so by the manifestation of one of 
these lights which has arisen in the Gentile church, and will be trans- 
ferred on the account of unbelief in them to Israel. That is. to say, 
that spirit of rest, which I consider the light of the seventh church or 
seventh era, lias arisen in the Gentile church, and if rejected of them 
on the account of unbelief, will be transferred to Israel, which will 
cause their restoration. The Gentiles should well consider this pas- 
sage, for if the natural branches were broken off that the Gentiles 
might receive this mercy spoken of, should we not expect that when 
the Israelites receive mercy through the Gentiles it will be by the Gen- 
tiles being broken off in unbelief, and the natural branches grafted in 
again ? for if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he 
also save not thee. And they also, if they abide not stiil in tin belief, 
shall be grafted in : -for God is able to graft them in again. For if thou 
wert cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature and wert grafted 
contrary to nature into a good olive tree ; how much more shall these, 



24 



which be the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree? 
For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, 
(lest ye should be wise in your own conceits,) that blindness in partis 
happened to Israel until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. And 
so all Israel shall be saved ; as it is written, there shall come out of 
Sion the Deliverer and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: For 
this is my Covenant unto them when I shall take away their sins. Eom. 
xi, 20. 23 to 27/' Should we not expect this Deliverer that shall come 
out of Sion, will be that shepherd where it says " one fold and one shep- 
herd?''' for it agrees with the prophecies of Ezekiel : u The word of the 
Lord came again unto me saying, moreover, thou son of man, take the 
one stick, and write upon it, for Judah, and for the children of Israel 
his companions; then take another stick, and write upon it, for Joseph, 
the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel his companions: 
And join them Gne to another into one stick; and they shall become 
one in thine hand. And when the children of thy people shall speak 
unto thee, saying, Wilt thou not show what thou meanest by these ? 
Say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God, Behold I will take the stick 
of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel 
his fellows, and will put them with him, even with the stick of Judah, 
and make them one sticky and they shall be one in mine hand. And 
the sticks whereon thou writest shall be in thine hand before their 
eyes. And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I will 
take the children of Israel from among the heathen, whither they be 
gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own 
land. And I will make them one nation in the land upon the moun- 
tains of Israel, and one King shall be king to them all : and they shall 
be no mure two nations, neither shall they be divided into two king- 
doms any more at all ; neither shall they defile themselves anymore 
with their idols, nor with their detestable things, nor with any of their 
transgressions : but I will save them out of all their dwelling places, 
wherein they have sinned, and will cleanse them : So shall they be my 
people and I will be their God. And David, my servant, shall be King- 
over them ; and they all shall have one Shepherd : they shall all walk 
in my judgments, and observe my statutes, and do them. And they 
-hall dwell in the land that I have given unto Jacob my servant, 
wherein your fathers have dwelt ; and they shall dwell therein, even 
the}', and their children and their children's children, forever ; and my 
servant David shall be their prince forever. Moreover, I will make a 
covenant of peace with them; it shall bean everlasting covenant with 
them; and I will place and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary 
in the midst of them forevermore. My tabernacle also shall be with 
them; yea, I will be their God, and they shall be my people." Does 
any one think that God has broken this covenant with them that he 
would be unto them a God and they shall be unto him a people ? Xo ! 
for " thus saith the Lord, which giveth the sun for a light by day, and 
the ordinances of the moon and stars for a light by night, which divi- 
deth the sea when the waves thereof roar; the Lord of hosts is his 
name : If those ordinances depart from before me, saith the Lord, then 
the seed of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before me for- 
ever." Jer. xxxi, 35, 36 From these verses we can learn, while those 
ordinances stand, God's covenant towards them is not broken. God's 
word stands until fulfilled, and God is able to fulfil his word through 
the smallest of means, and the greatest cannot perform it without liis 



power, for oven Christ, the Son of God, said I can of mine own self do 
nothing. John v, 80. 



AN EXHORTATION TO THE ISRAELITES. 

i > '<.< wo i t>l' !>n J il.tiw hiillft odbfrn »'3faofi$ , ffti3' i i {fwjfO'niy dvil* 

I will say to them which are afflicted on account of unbelief, that it 
is not reasonable to suppose God would break off a nation and graft 
them in again whilst the reason for which they were broken off still 
existed. 0 ye Israelites, there must have been a grand cause why God 
should break you off and have you dispersed into all nations! Will 
you call to mind what was the cause, that you may repent of the evil 
and return unto God ? not that God will return unto you, for he changes 
not, but is a long sufferer toward you, that you may repent and return 
unto him. If you were broken off on account of unbelief, should you 
not repent and believe and return unto Zion, with everlasting joy and 
gladness, that your sorrows may be wiped away? How long will you 
withstand the mid day splendor of the glorious gospel of Christ, and 
refuse the most glorious plan of life and salvation through the media- 
tion, merits and righteousness of a crucified and risen Saviour? who 
has opened the way of eternal life and salvation, through his resurrec- 
tion and righteousness, that man may receive a celestial body, incor- 
ruptible, which will not fade away, but forever to dwell in eternity in 
a celestial fold, with the Lord their Shepherd, in the presence of God 
and the Lamb and the holy angels in love forever, in the substance 
which that fold represents, which is promised to the terrestial fold of 
God — to Israel in this life. And this figure will be only as a bond 
which figurates the bounty which is promised, and if the bond was not 
given to become void by receiving the precious metal which it repre- 
sents, it would be vague when given; for the paper and ink would be 
perishable, and when used it would perish with the using; even so with 
the enjoyments of a natural life, even as .we use its highest gifts they 
perish with the using. This kingdom on earth which is promised to 
the people of God, though it may be long enjoyed, even a thousand 
years, cannot call back one pulse which has ceased to heat. Prepared 
or unprepared all fall victims to death, or they could not receive the 
substance that this life is a figure of. As the passing away of the pulse 
of man brings death, even so the passing away of time will bring judg- 
ment when the dead, small and great, shall stand before God, to know 
who will be accepted into that eternal fold of 'God which will not pasw 
away nor its pleasures ever fail ; where the blest will drink of the pure 
river of the water of life as clear as crystal, proceeding out of the 
throne of God and of the Lamb, which I believe will be spiritual love. 
The long cheering theme of prophecy is a striking evidence of the 
happy age before us, and as the past distinguished dispensations of 
God have, exceeded one another in manifestations of truth and grace, 
on the same scale we may be confident God will more strikingly display 
in ages to come the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness to- 
ward us, through Christ Jesus, that we may grow in grace and in the 
knowledge of our Lord and Saviour, and of that celestial fold, that 
heavenly Canaan, where our forerunner is gone, to prepare for us, that 
we may become heirs of God and joint heirs with his son Jesus Christ. 
For I believe the great cause of the divisions and subdivisions in the 



26 



church or fold of God is for the lack of a growth in grace and in the 
knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. What is grace? It 
is unmerited favor, which is the merit of Christ. If all could view with 
the eye of faith the fulness of Christ, it would cast the whole of the 
ordinance in the service of God into the shade, and believers would 
♦live through faith alone, and be filled with the knowledge of the Lord 
as the waters cover the sea ; and rest from all their works in the ser- 
vice or worship of God, through faith in Christ. 



AN EXHOKTATION TO THE GENTILES. 

First, I will say to the preaching department to beware lest ye hold 
the truth of God in unrighteousness, because that which may be known 
of God is manifest in them, for God hath shewed it unto them ; for the 
invisible things of him, from the creation of the world, are clearly seen,' 
being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power, 
and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, Horn, i, 20, if they should 
darken those things that do appear, with those things that are seen in 
preaching to others, if they themselves should be cast away on account 
of unbelief. For you are inexcusable, oh man, that preach to others 
that they should believe Jesus Christ came by blood and disbelieve 
yourselves he came by water also, for if God spared not them of old in 
that way, take heed lest he spare not you. "For if ye be dead with 
Christ from the rudiments of the world, why as though living in the 
world, are ye subject to ordinances," Col. ii, 20 ; for they are only as 
figures or types of those things that do appear, that we may view the 
substance through the eye of faith, for faith is the substance of things 
hoped for. Therefore be wise and justified thereby, and feast upon the 
fruit and not upon the leaves. When we bring before our minds the 
great suffering it has cost to build up the truth on the earth, man 
should not profess to be in the way of truth who does not adapt hinv» 
self to bear persecution. Error seems to spring up like evil weeds of 
the ground, while truth has to be cultivated like the products of the 
field. Therefore, when we enter into Christ's vineyard, we should be 
faithful laborers, endeavoring to labor after the pattern set before us to 
follow. We should not be found seeking earthly fame, but that fame 
which will bear that solemn test, and reach within the veil where our 
forerunner has gone. I have suffered myself to be banished both from 
social and religious society for the sake of truth, that which is recorded 
within' the veil, which has proved to me as an anchor against the storms 
of persecution which have beaten vehemently against me for many 
years, but thanks be to God, after a few more dashing winds I hope the 
storm will be over. I can witness with the Apostle Paul when he said, 
" I could wish myself accursed from God for my brethren and my kin- 
dred according to the flesh," for I have wished myself accursed from 
God for my brethren and kinsmen according to the flesh, not that I 
■wished myself cursed from God spiritually, but that I should be afflicted 
in the flesh for them, if God would spare them in that way; for I find 
truth is failing and righteous judgment is leaving the house of God: for 
I find different sects justify their own in error. Instead of embodying 
themselves to detect evil by watching over one another for good, and 
to admonish one another in wrong, and for their petitions to be lifted 



27 



to God as the voice of one body for deliverance from evil, they appear 
to cloak evil, by trying to cast the shade of the wrong on others and to 
justify them of their own sect. And it seems that love is fading and its 
once spangled rays in the believer in Christ seem to be going down. 
Now if any man have not the spirit of Christ he is none of his, Bom. 
viii, 9, and that spirit is love, and if its spangling and warming rays 
should set to rise no more in the breasts of the Gentiles what could they 
say, but that their harvest is past and their summer is gone ? I fear 
this will be the case for we are kept by the power of God through faith 
in Christ, and if we should deny the fulness of Christ should not we 
expect that God would withdraw his spirit from us on account of unbe- 
lief? Where to dwell? To take its flight from the wilderness as a gol- 
den eagle to perch to rest in the branches of the tame olive tree again. 
Zech. viii, 3. Oh the tender chords of love Christ has bound his chil- 
dren with ! and if those silver chords should be loosed, should we not 
expect that iniquity would abound while the love of many would wax 
cold ? Our Father, the creator of all things, we have great cause and 
reason to thank and adore thee for thy great mercy and goodness to-, 
wards us in the manifestation of thy Son, who was made unto us wis- 
dom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption. Our heavenly 
Father, as the grass of the morning is decked and spangled with dew, 
so is our love when nourished by thy spirit, sparkling and shining to- 
wards thee. The grass in a moment can be mown, no more to be nour- 
ished by the dew : so, Father, is our pleasure now pending on thee. 
Our Father, for Christ sake let thy spirit within us extend and enable 
us through faith to obtain salvation in the end. 
Wayne County, Ky., A. D. 1847. 



THE SEVEN CHTJKCHES IN ASIA. 



I will endeavor, first, to point out the angels or preachers of the 
seven churches and the churches, and secondly, how Christ stood in 
the midst of the churches, and how they will be removed out of their 
places. The seven churches in Asia, I believe, signify seven eras or 
in other words, dispensations, wherein the different lights of the great 
goodness and power of God have -shone forth to manifest the plan of 
life and salvation through faith in a crucified, risen and ascended Sa- 
viour into that place within the heavenly tabernacle of which the 
earthly tabernacle called the holiest of all of the earthly temple, was 
only a figure ) which tabernacle contained "the golden censer, and the 
ark of the covenant's, overlaid round about with gold, wherein was the. 
golden pot that had 'manna, and Aaron's rod, that budded, and the ta- 
bles of the covenant; and over it the cherubims of glory, shadowing 
the mercy seat — a representation of heaven itself, where Christ, after 
being made perfect through suffering, has ascended to intercede for 
fallen man. That the promise of this plan of life and salvation to the 
world might be made manifest to man, God chose Abraham as the an- 
gel or preacher, to bear the light of it, that man might know there 
was a heavenly Canaan promised beyond the grave, of which the earth- 
ly Canaan was only a figure ; and that the "spirit of the promise might 
abound, God gave Abraham a natural promise of a land flowing with 
milk and honey, as typical of the spiritual promise. What principle 
was the church first started upon ? On the promise : therefore the 
promise was the first branch oi the church, which I believe was the 
church of Ephesus; for Christ, speaking by his servant John, con- 
cerning the members of the church of Ephesus, how they had labored 
and had not fainted, charged them to remember from whence they 
were fallen and to repent and do their first w T orks, or he would remove 
their candle-stick out of his place. Though the children of Israel la- 
bored in Egyptian bondage upwards of four hundred years and faint- 
ed not, yet it seems that the promise had become to them dim, and 
they had fallen from their first faith, but were commanded to repent 
and do their first works. I believe that was, to believe and take their 
march, to the promised land, as Abraham did when he went out and 
sojourned in the land of promise with -Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with 
him of the same promise. It was necessary that this natural promise 
should abound until the substance was manifested. Now for a distinc- 
tion to be drawn between evil doers and those that walk uprightly ac- 
cording to the promise. I appeal to the angel of the church in Smyr- 
na to bear the next light. There was a distinction drawn bylaws be- 
ing given that a knowledge of sin might abound and appear exceed- 
ingly sinful, that knowledge might .be given between good and evil, 
that transgressors might be condemned and the guiltless justified and 
blessed. That this light might shine, Moses was first chosen as the an- 
gel or minister to bear that spirit of light and justice, to make the just 
distinction between the rewards of good and evil ; and to make known 
offered grace through 'tender mercy, by a law being added on account 



29 



of sin, to make known unto sinners the atoning merits which trans- 
gression required to reinstate the transgressor to the promise of God. 
I will endeavor to point out the angel or preacher of the church in 
Pergamos. What was the next spirit of light to that given of God by 
Moses ? for Moses taught the commandments and also the service of 
the Levitical law for the remission of sins, after -which John came 
preaching the baptism of repentence for remission of sins, Mark i, 4. 
There seemed to be another change or light manifested to the world. 
The Levitical law taught the necessity of a sinner's offering sacrifice 
for sin, but the baptism God manifested by John, taught the need of a 
sinner's being washed on account of sin, each of which lights was ac- 
ceptable of God in their church or era, for remission of sins until the 
substance or the true light did appear. Now if the manifestation of 
those lights to the Israelites brought forth their fulness, when they 
should understand the substance thereof or be broken off without ex- 
cuse in unbelief, should we not say when we see the like figures per- 
fbrmed among the Gentiles, that it shows forth their fulness, and also, 
that they should believe in the truth as it is in Christ Jesus or be bro. 
ken off in unbelief, as the Israelites were ? and if the natural branches 
should believe, that they might be grafted in again ? I will now en- 
deavor to point out a like figure performed among the Gentiles, as that 
of Israel. " By faith Abraham, when he was called to go into a place 
which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed ; and he went 
out not knowing whither he went. By faith he sojourned in the land 
of promise as in a strange country." Heb. xi, 8, 9. I will examine 
for the angel of the church in Thyatira. Does it not seem that Chris- 
topher Columbus was actuated by a like spirit when he went out and 
made his way to an unknown land ? He went out as Abraham did ; 
not knowing whither he went and sojourned in a strange country. 
Columbus in the midst of mutiny, and while every heart around him 
sunk under the most gloomy apprehensions, stood firm in faith and ob- 
tained the prize, by reaching the pleasant land of America, a land that 
flowed with milk and honey. Oh has it not been like Canaan, the pro- 
mised land Abraham received, and which became a land of gospel and 
liberty. The land that Abraham viewed was possessed at that time 
by the Iteish tribes, even so the land of America that Columbus view- 
ed was possessed by the Indian tribes. But whe$i the time came foi 
the children of Israel, who were worshippers of the living God, tc 
drive out the heathen Iteish tribes and to possess the land in liberty, 
that God might receive that which was due to him for his blessings 
true worship, the spirit of liberty seemed to abound in the breast o] 
those the promise was unto and they began to say to those they served 
"let us go, that we may serve God." God knowing their hearts 
and the promise that he had given them, brought them out from king, 
ly bondage with a high hand, under their leader Moses, to drive oul 
the heathen trices and possess the land of Canaan. Now I will en 
deavor to point out the angel of the church of the Laodeceans. When 
the people of America had multiplied as the children of Israel had, the 
spirit of liberty kindled in their breasts and they began to want theni 
they served, to let them go to drive out the heathen tribes and to pos 
sess the land of America, that they might serve God according to hit 
will. God knowing their hearts and hearing their cries, seemed to de 
liver them, under the protection of Washington, a leader similar tc 
Moses — a man with a heart filled with liberty under the influence o: 



so' 

the spirit of God. They gained the victory, and as God commanded 
the children of Israel concerning the heathen tribes, "they should 
drive them out little by little." Deut. vii, 22 j so the people of Amer- 
ica have driven out the heathen tribes little by little, until they have 
possessed the land, a land of liberty, flowing with milk and honey, 
which has become full of gospel, which has spread even to all or most 
of the distant shores, as it did from Israel. Oh think of the blessings the 
American people have received. Surely they have been like the bless- 
ings of Canaan. Laws were established under the administaation of 
Moses while chief magistrate of Israel for their guide, even so were 
laws established under the administration of Washington while first 
chief magistrate of America. What more could we say than surely 
God was the director of all. This Moses acknowledged and so did 
Washington; for Moses in all his words and acts proved that he was 
only an instrument in the hand of God and Washington's words when 
he first entered the Senate chamber proved the same, for he proclaim- 
ed that it would be peculiarly improper to omit in the first official act/ 
his fervent supplications to that Almighty Being who rules over the 
universe and who presides in the councils of nations. If they ac- 
knowledged this, surely we should do the same, for they knew best 
through what power they acted. Man can only be an instrument in 
the hand of God in performing good, hot that man can perform good, for 
there is " none that doeth good, no not one " but all mere instruments 
in the hand of God who is able to make use of the weak to confound 
the mighty; for the w.cakest are kept by the samepoweras the strong- 
est, for both are kept by the power of God through faith unto sal- 
vation. 

Believing that John was the star or angel or minister of the third 
church, we shall here further examine his mission and see if we cannot 
find one filling a similar station in America under the gospel dispensa- 
tion, to that which John filled in Israel under the law dispensation. 
Near the time when God was about to set up his gospel kingdom on 
earth and to manifest to Israel the truth, the fulfilment of the gospel, 
that they should drop their works which were figures and cleave to the 
substance through faith and receivethat day of rest which vras promis- 
ed to them, " John came preaching the baptism of repentance for the 
' remission of sins," ILuke iii, 8 ; for a like figure I will appeal to the an- 
gel or preacher of the church of Sardis, which I believe is the sixth 
church. Near the time, according to the calculation of w 7 ise men, that 
the kingdom of God should come, the time that Christ taught his dis- 
ciples to pray for the coming of the same when his will might be 
done ©n earth as it is in heaven, when God shall destroy the 
face of the covering cast over all people and the veil that is spread 
over all nations, Isa. xxv, 7; when the children of God should possess 
the kingdom and receive that rest which is promised them, Alexander 
Campbell appears preaching the same, it seems, as John preached, the 
baptism of Repentance for the remission of sins. What is to hinder us 
from believing he is sent of God to prepare people for the truth as it 
i5 in Christ, that that light may shine forth as it is in Christ the foun^ 
tain, or true and living way, that the Gentiles may receive the fulness 
of the gos,pel as it is in Christ and cease from ordinances which make 
' bars and divisions and subdivisions in the church, and rest from their 
labors in the service of . God through faith in the merits oi Christ. I 
now will endeavor to point out the angel or preacher of the seventh 



31 



church, which 1 believe is the church in Philadelphia. If he is the in- 
strument in the hand of God to bear the true light as it is in Christ, 
we must believe he will bear the image of Christ. How ? In persecu- 
tion: Though he may bo weak, though he may be feeble, he may come 
to his own and his own tnay receive him not, he may be rejected by all, 
the same as Christ was, he may suffer many things for Christ's sake, 
his own people may be offended at him as Christ's was at him, Mark 
vis 3; many may st\,y he is beside himself the same as they of old said 
of Christ, Mark iii, 21; the persecution of Christ may clearly abound 
in him. There is one thing I would have considered, as Christ said to 
them that built the tombs of the prophets, who said if they had been 
in the days of their fathers, they would not have been partakers with 
them in their blood, Mat. xxii, 29, 31. Christ called them witnesses unto 
themselves of being guilty of their blood. I will say to the persecutors of 
the truth as it is in Christ Jesus, are you not guilty of the blood of Christ 
in so doing? In pointing out according to my views those angels 
or preachers of the seven churches, I have shown the eras which 1 be- 
lieve were styled churches. Having gone through the first clause of 
my subject in a brief manner, I now will endeavor to show how Christ 
stood in the midst of the seven churches, Rev. i, 13— ii, 1, and the re- 
moval, of them from their' places according to God's word, unto the 
church of Ephesus, which, I believe, is the church of promise, which 
is not to seeds as of many, but as of one, and to thy seed which is 
Christ, Gal. iii, 16. Not that all the families of the earth should be 
blessed in that natural land of Canaan, but in the spiritual seed, in the 
spiritual promise. The spiritual promise was that spiritual life which 
was to be received through that spiritual seed, which 1 was Christ, for 
he was* the first spiritual stem that ever sprung up, and all that die in 
Christ and pass over that substance of Jordan into that spiritual Ca- 
naan, will enjoy heaven itself " Christ the first fruit and they which 
be Christ's at his coming- as in Adam all die, evjsn so in Christ shall 
all be made alive, but every man in his own order," 1 Cor. xv, 22, 23. 
Now to show what will make the order, 1 appeal to the church in 
Smyrna, which I believe is the light to explain the law. We shall first 
notice the ordinances of the law, and secondly, how Christ stood in 
the midst of that light, being the substance. 1 learn th'at all Abra- 
ham's natural seed which was in Isaac, were heirs to that natural land 
of Canaan by promise, even so all the families of the earth were spir- 
itual heirs by promise of that spiritual life through the resurrection of 
Christ. But we find that all A brahamV«natural seed did not inherit 
that land of promise - even so with all the families of the earth, though 
they be heirs by promise, numbers will not receive it.' We will first 
show the cause why all Abraham's natural promised seed did not in- 
herit that natural promise. God made a covenant with Abraham and 
his seed, Gen. xv, 18. A covenant is of a twofold nature. Not that 
God gave the promise to Abraham without conditions, though the con- 
ditions were added upwards of four hundred years after the promise 
was made - yet the time when they were to possess the land of pro- 
mise was not yet due, for the iniquity of the Amorites was not yet 
full, Gen. xv,*15 • neither had the children of promise served according 
to the covenant, four hundred years in Egyptian bondage, but w T hen 
the time that they- were to receive the promise came, the conditions 
were added, which was a natural law, which is styled a statute law, 
Deut. vi, 17. 18 — xxii, xxiii, Exo. xx, 18 — xxiv, which signified to a 



peculiar people. The conditions were if; they kjept this law and also 
the covenant law which was the ten commandments, they were heirs 
of the promise, if they became breakers of the laws they were no more 
heirs of the promise but subjects of the evils pronounced against evil 
doers, Deut. xxviii, 15, 68. Except they became redeemed by the per- 
formance according to the requirements of the Levitical priesthood 
which was required on account of sin, that a transgressor though he 
had transgressed might become an heir according.to the natural prom- 
ise of Canaan. To show how Christ stood in the midst of the law or 
that branch of the light to the church, I will say from evidence that 
all of the human family have, the promise of another life through the 
resurrection of Christ, which will endure through eternity ; and not 
only have we this evidence but God has given us promises of great 
blessings in that life, on the same conditions as the promise of the land 
of Canaan was given. 

I believe from sacred writ that all the human family when they first 
come into the world are heirs by promise" to the blessings of that life 
which will be received through the resurrection, which will be spiritual. 
Man has a natural body given him, and has the evidence that he will 
have a spiritual bod}', 1st Cor. xv, 44 ; therefore the apostle Paul spake 
of a law which will govern those spiritual bodies. Eom. vii. If 
the law is spiritual which condemns, that surely must be spiritual that 
sets free from spiritual condemnation. There was a spiritual promise 
given of which the ark of the covenant was evidence, w 7 hich was with- 
in the veil, which was a figure of the place where Christ entered, to 
make atonement for transgression of that law which was written on 
tables of stone and laid up in the ark of the covenant, Heb. ix, 4 ; and 
was styled a covenant as well as the ark, Deut. iv, 13, ix, 9, 11, 15. 
"When this law is transgressed the transgressor is spiritually condemned. 
The condemnation will be against the transgressors, when they shall 
be given spiritual bodies through the resurrection of Christ, except 
they become redeemed through the plan of redemption which has been 
fulfilled in Christ. To bring this plan more plaiuly to view, we should 
examine the ordinances or figure of that work which was iulfilled in 
Christ for the remission of sin ; or in other words, the figures which 
w ere a representation of the fulfilment of that law, required on the 
account of sin, that sinners might be set free from the thraldrom of sin, 
and again become heirs according to the promise of God. 2\ow that 
this plan might be made manifest to man the Levitical law was added 
to give light of the great fulfilment it should meet in Christ spiritually, 
and the demands of this law, which 'was required to be filled were 
against the sinner ; and if he has transgressed a spiritual law he is a 
spiritual sinner, and if a spiritual sinner, it requires a spiritual work to 
purchase his redemption, and how can a righteous man perform a spi- 
ritual work, much more a sinner? Even Aaron, after he was taken 
according to the commandment of God by Moses unto the door of the 
tabernacle where offerings should be made, and was hallowed by being 
w T ashed and having the'holy garments, made of gold, blue, purple, 
scarlet and fine twined linen, with cunning work, placed on him, could 
not make an offering sufficient to redeem sinners from under condem- 
nation, or make the comers thereunto perfect, pertaining to the con- 
science. ^yhy ? Because it was a natural work, and there was a spi- 
ritual law violated and hence it required a spiritual satisfaction. 
Therefore the natural performance according to the Levitical law or 



sa 



priesthood was only types, or figures, or ordinances, to lead the human 
mind to the truth or substance of that spiritual work which is the 
merits of Christ. Sinful man not being able to fulfil the law that re- 
quired works for sin, Christ came in his stead to satisfy the demands 
of the law. • The law required sinful man to be washed and to put on 
the robe of righteousness and to offer up the blood of an offering for 
sin. This denoted that Christ should be washed and put on the robe 
of righteousness and make upon the altar within the veil an accptable 
offer ing for sin ? 

The law being spiritual we should notice how Christ fulfilled it spir- 
itually. Sacrificial offerings for sin according to the Levitical priest- 
hood, though acceptable of God until the seed should come, made no 
real atonement for sin, but when the great sacrifice came, those for 
whom they had been made, stood in the fullness thereof. N"ow for 
Christ to stand in the fulness of the great sacrifice for us, there was an 
offering made for him at eight days old, according to the Levitical law; 
so that, when the blood ushered from his own side, he stood in the ful- 
ness thereof-*-not for himself but for sinful man, that he might become' 
man's righteousness or stand in his stead: even so he submitted him- 
self to the ordinance of baptism that he might stand justified, or wash- 
ed in the substance, when the water ushered forth from his side. Not 
that he needed this for himself but for us that he might stand washed 
in our stead : for he has been made perfect through suffering and has 
put on the robe of righteousness and entered within the veil, and thus 
fulfilled the law that we may be made perfect, by repentance towards 
God, and through faith in His Son. This agrees with the witness of 
God which has testified of his Son, John v, 9, 6 : " This is he that came 
by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by 
water and blood. And now it is the spirit that beareth witness, be- 
cause the spirit is truth." If sinners receive through faith Christ their 
righteousness, and are sealed by the spirit, are they not born of the 
water and of the spirit? I am bound to say they are. If they have 
come by this water and blood and been sealed by the living spirit, 
they are sealed heirs of God and living witnesses of Christ, for the law 
being spiritual has met its full demands in Christ. If a natural com- 
pliance with the law is sufficient, then ordinances will do as that which 
is acceptable of God; but they were only acceptable of God until the 
substance should become manifested, which was the merits of Christ : 
"for by one spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be 
Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made 
to drink into one spirit. 1st Cor. xii, 13. Through one spiritual fulfil- 
ment of the law, we are all baptized into one baptism, through faith in 
Christ, who has met the demands of the law; and we are sealed by one 
spirit, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ. As far as the blood of 
Christ was above the blood of beasts, even so was the water that 
ushered from Christ's side above that of natural water. Some contend 
that the blood of Christ which was shed, was only natural blood. If 
so, surely the natural blood of beasts which was required according to 
the Levitical priesthood would have made atonement for sin. Some 
say how could Divinity suffer? A child possessing the nature of its 
father can suffer and die without the father's feeling the least pain of 
'death; oven so the Son of God who possessed the spirit of the father, 
could suffer and die, and make that spiritual offering which it took to 
meet the demands of the law, without the father's fooling the least 



84 



agony of pain or death. Christ has sent forth that living sacrifice and 
that living water accompanied by that living spirit, that we may wor- 
ship the father in spirit and in truth. What is truth? Christ, for the 
father seeketh such to worship him as worship him through Christ. 
God is a spirit and they that worship him must worship him in spirit 
and in truth. Is thore any such righteousness about man, except 
through faith as spiritual worship, that he should wish to rob Christ of 
His glory through ordinances: if the merits of Christ have become the 
substance of all ordinances in the service of God required for sin, should 
we not give Him the praise due to Him by His fulfilment of them? 
Oh man, think how distressing would it .be to see the spring bereaved 
of her living green, and the fall of her year's production: but we had 
better strip the spring' of her verdure, and autumn of her fruit, than 
fail of giving Christ the praise due to Him through His merits. There- 
fore our spirits should offer up that spiritual work through faith in 
Christ, for the just shall live by faith. Heb. x, 38. Then being justi- 
fied by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ; 
by whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, 
and rejoice in hope of the glory of God." Eom. v, 1, 2. "Now to him 
that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But 
to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieih the un- 
godly, his faith is counted for righteousness." Eom. iv, 4, 5. It was 
the words of faith that the apostles preached, Eom. x, 8 ; and the apos- 
tle Paul endeavored to show that works were no more works, or grace 
was no more grace. Eom. x, 6. Therefore we should rest from works 
in the service of God and gladly receive that rest that is promised to 
the people of God, lest we should be broken off in unbelief and the nat. 
ural branches.be grafted in again; for the natural branches were bro- 
ken off because they would not cease from their works in the service of 
God, and receive that rest through faith in Christ. If they were bro- 
ken off on account of works 'Met us therefore fear, lest a promise being 
left us of entering into his rest, any of you shall seem to come short of 
it." Heb. iv, 1. "What! are we Gentiies any better than they? No, 
for God's word says " the just shall live by faith : but if any man draw 
back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him." Heb. x, 38. For if God 
spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee. 
Eom. xi, 21. We should well consider this, and take warning before it 
be finally too late ; for God has no respect of persons. Having endea- 
vored to show how Christ stood in the promise and in the law, I will 
endeavor to show how he stood in the third church. Christ styled 
John a bright and shini.ng light. 'Now to show that this light should 
make plain to the humanfamily that Christ " should come by water as 
well as blood," 1st John v, 6, I have appealed to the church in Perga- 
mos, which I believe was John's dispensation, or in other words, the 
era of John's baptism, and that John was the star or angel of that 
church. John was sent as a light to the world to manifest that Christ 
was to come by water, just as the sacrifices according to the Levitical 
priesthood witnessed that he should come by blood. John baptized for 
the remission of sins-just as the Israelites sacrificed for the same, to lead 
to faithin Christ,and' both were equally acceptableof God until the true 
light did appear. Offerings according to the Levitical law, were to show 
that a sacrifice was required for the remission of sins, even so was the ordi- 
nance of baptism instituted to show that there needed a washing also 
for remission of sins, that they might be worthy to wear the robe of 



35 



righteousness which is prepared through Christ for all them that love 
h'im. These being different lights only showed forth the different 
works it took to open the way of life and salvation through the fulfil- 
ment of them in Christ. I will say the book that was sealed with 
seven seals, Eev. v, 1, required seven works to remove them,, that it 
might be opened, which I believe was a representation of the plan of 
life and salvation thus sealed up in Christ. These different works may 
be briefly stated to be, a life of obedience, death, bloody water, resur- 
rection, putting on the robe of righteousness and ascension to that 
place within the veil; and by doing this he opened the way of life and 
salvation to all them that believe: not to them that only believe in 
part, as those did that turned back at Christ's words which they said 
were hard sayings; but to those who believe to the saving of the soul, 
by taking on them the whole armor of God and marching boldly to a 
rich throne of grace as it is in Christ Jesus — that fountain which was 
open in the house of King David for sin and uncleanlmess and which 
will not fade away, but is a living fountain springing up to everlasting 
life. 

Believing the next three churches are only figures pointing back to 
those filled in Israel, I will endeavor to bring up some few comparisons 
showing how Christ stands in them, as he did in those before mentioned. 
As Christ came forth from the lineage of that people who possessed the 
land of promise, which I regard to have been the first church, even so 
there should one, possessing the spirit of Christ, come forth out of Thy- 
atira, the fourth church, which is merely emblematical of the first, and $ 
which I believe to be the land of America ; for Christ said to one in the 
fourth church: " he that overcometh and keepeth my works unto the 
end, to him will I give power over the nations : and he shall rule them 
with a rod of iron ; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to 
shivers : even as I received of my father. Eev. ii, 26, 27. Here we can 
understand concerning the power this one shall have that overcomes in 
the fourth church. It will be the power of Christ. If so we must be- 
lieve the spirit of Christ will dwell in him, that the power of Christ 
may be manifested through him. What for? To show forth that de^ 
liverance that is promised to Israel in him; and this agrees with Paul 
to the Eomans, xi, 30, 31, who in speaking of the Gentiles says : "For 
as in times past ye have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy 
through their unbelief," (which is Christ;) and of the Israelites : "Even 
so have these also believed, that through your mercy they also niay 
obtain mercy" — which' I believe to mean that "through your deliverer 
they also may obtain deliverance ; or in other words, that as a Great 
Light sprung up in Israel by which the Gentiles were enlightened, 
even so shall the power of this light spring up among the Gentiles 
to enlighten Israel; and if the Gentiles reject it, as Israel did the great 
light, that they may be broken off in unbelief as the natural branches 
were, and the natural branches grafted in again if they abide not in 
unbelief : "For God is able to graft them in again." For if the Gen- 
tiles were cut out of the olive tree, which is wild by nature, and we are 
grafted contrary to nature into a good olive tree; how much more shall 
these which be the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree? 
For I would not brethren that you should be ignorant of this mystery, 
(lest ye should be wise in your own conceits) that blindness in part is 
happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. And 
so all Israel shall be saved $ as it is written: "There shall come out of 



\ 



Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob : For 
this is my covenant unto them when I shall take away their sins'." Kom. 
xi, 23, 27. What were their sins for which they were broken off? Un- 
belief. Where is Sion, out of which this deliverer should come ? The 
church. , Where is the church ? In the wilderness ; where she was to 
take her flight "for a time, and times, and half a time." Bev. xii, 14. 
If we have not the spirit of Christ, we are none of his. If this spirit 
took its flight from the church at home to the wilderness on account of 
unbelief in the natural branches, if unbelief should arise in the wild 
branches, should we not expect it would take its flight from the wild 
branches? Where to rest? To its native home again. * The Gentiles 
may say the tame branches were broken off that they might be graft- 
ed in. "Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou 
standest by faith. " Be not high-minded but fear. For if God spared 
not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not. thee."' Eom. 
xi, 29, 20. If the apostle Paul gave this charge to the church, then 
should not the church of God yet consider it, seeing'that day must be 
much nearer at hand which Christ and Paul spoke of as the fulness of 
the Gentiles, than it was when they spoke ? Luke xxi, 24. Eom. xi, 
25. 

I come now to speak of the fifth church, which I believe is the 
church of the Laodiceans. God is liberty and in Christ is freedom. 
If we are made free in Christ, we are free indeed, and partakers of 
those heavenly blessings in Christ Jesus. Now, for the image of 
this liberty and these blessings as in Christ to be represented in Israel, 
they were set free from bondage to worship God, to enjoy those heav- 
enly blessings of Canaan in freedom. As M®ses, under God, brought 
the Israelites to the enjoyment of those blessings which were figura- 
tive of the freedom in Christ, so has Washington, under the same Pro- 
vidence, brought the American people to the enjoyment of those bless- 
ings which are typical of the Freedom of Israel. Surely no American 
in the enjoyment of civil and religious liberty, can fail to see the strik- 
ing analogy. And should notour hearts leap for joy, especially when 
we see we are no better by nature than those in bondage? Now what 
is the cause that the fate of some is so much worse than others ? What 
is the cause that many are in bondage under sin? Unbelief is the 
binding cord ; even so with nations. Their bondage must be on ac- 
count of unbelief; for it seems that the natural freedom of nations is 
according to their enlightenment in the gospel of Christ. It surely is 
the heart's desire of every one that has been set free in Christ from 
the bondage of sin, that all who are the servants of sin, should be set 
free, but can we burst the bands of unbelief of others and set them 
free from the thraldom of sin ? No, we may deceive them by endeav- 
oring to set thern free by our own power; even so with nations. We 
should consider that God . rules in all kingdoms, 2 Cor. xx, 6, 15, 25; 
Psalms xliv, 1, 4; Prov. viii, 15, 16; Jer. xviii, 7, 10. This is only a 
small portion of the evidence of this fact. We may be instruments in 
the hands of God in holding out the way to freedom, that is, faith in 
Christ. Can it be that there is any believer in Christ who is the ser- 
vant of sin? To abide in unbelief is serving sin. We are commanded 
to grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus 
Christ. What is grace? It is unmerited favor, that work which was 
fulfilled in Christ for us, which we were not able to do for ourselves. 
$ow we are commanded to grow in knowledge of this work. When 



37 



Christ was on earth, some believed on him, and he told some if they 
continued in his word, they should know the truth, and if 
the truth should make them free, they should be free indeed. 
They must have believed 6r he would not have told them to continue 
in the way they were in; for w^hat is his word that they were com- 
manded to continue in but that of faith, that they might grow in grace, 
that is in the knowledge of that' work which should be fulfilled in him 
that they might continue from faith unto faith : the same as to say, if 
one believed that Christ came by water and knew not that he came by 
blood also, that he is commanded to continue to grow in the knowledge 
of that work unto the measure and stature of the fulness of Christ. 
The only growth that ever has taken place in the church, has been 
from ordinances to faith in the fulfilment of them in Christ. I believe 
nations are living in bondage according to their unbelief and blindness 
as to the great fulness in Christ : and if the world could view through 
the eye of faith the merits of Christ, it would receive the day of rest 
promised to the people of God. I believe there are numbers who hold 
that Christ came by blood, but they lack the growth in grace, to be- 
lieve that he came by water also. 

Let us now examine the similarity between the sixth church (which 
I believe was the church in Sardis) and the third church of which we 
have already speken. 

If it pleased God to prepare the minds of the Israelites to receive 
Christ, we must believe it pleased him to prepare the minds of the Gen- 
tiles to receive the truth as it is in Christ, that the veil that is spread 
over all nations, may be taken away (Isa. xxv. 7) through faith. An 
ordinance is a figure of a substance. That which is natural cannot be 
more than a figure of that which is spiritual. A belief, from ordi- 
nances, is a historical belief, but the substance is received through 
faith. John came to prepare a people for the Lord, by setting forth a 
historical work to enlighten the minds of his hearers, that they might 
receive the substance through faith. If a belief from ordinances isa 
preparatory work, such as John's baptism, surely that of A. Campbell's 
is the same. If John's preparatory work led the minds of his hearers 
to believejn the substance, it was a valid work : even so the prepara- 
tory work of Campbell, if it lead the minds of his hearers to view with . 
the eye of faith the substance, it will be a valid work. But if John's 
disciples believed not in the substance, which was Christ, their baptism 
did not avail them anything; even so if Campbell's disciples believe 
not in the substance of this ordinance, their baptism will avail them 
nothing. John's baptism seemed to lead the minds of his hearers to 
believe in the truth — the great antitype — as is shown by his words at 
the close of his remarks to the third church, where he said, by his an- 
gel, to his servant John : " To him that overcometh will I give to eat 
of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone 
a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth 
it, Rev. ii. 17. Surely this was the new birth manifested on the day of 
pentecost, when the " spirit came as a rushing mighty wind ; the wind 
bloweth where it listeth and we hear the sound thereof, but cannot tell 
whence it cometh nor whither it goeth," and so is every one that is 
born of the spirit. It is like a new name written on the heart with, 
the finger of God/which no man knoweth save he that receiveth 
it ; w T hich none can receive through a historical belief, but must 
come through faith alone. Paul's letter to th© Col. i, 20, 27, says l 



38 



" whereof I am made a minister according to the dispensati6n of 
God, which is given to me for you, to fulfill the word of God; even 
the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, 
but now is made manifest to his saints; to whom God would make 
known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the 
Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. If John's dis- 
ciples received not the substance through his baptism, which only 
give a historical belief, to lead the minds of men to faith in the sub- 
stance, then the baptism of Campbell could only give a his- 
torical belief, to lead the minds of men to faith in the substance, 
which is that spiritual work fulfilled in Christ, yet hid from 
thousands, but revealed through faith to some who are living wit- 
nesses of those things. Christ is the living way. If we have not 
known him through faith, we are none of his: but if his spirit 
beareth. witness with our spirits that we are born of God, then we 
are living witnesses; for there are three that beareth witnesses, 
in earth, the spirit, the water, and the blood ; and these three agree 
in one. If we are made alive through faith to this living water, and 
this living sacrifice, and are sealed by that living spirit, we are 
living witnesses to these three that bear witness on earth; and if we 
are living witnesses we shou'd not hold forth dead works, such as 
ordinances; but we should live through faith and hope, which bear 
the fruits of love alone, which is charity, and cleave to the sub- 
stance and not to the shadow, lest some might take the shadow for 
the'substance. Christ speaking to the angel of this church in Sardis, 
(which 1 believe to be the spirit of the reformed church), says : "I know 
thy works, that thou hast a name, that thou livest, and art dead. Be 
watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: 
for l.have not found thy works perfect before God : remember, therefore, 
how- thou bast received and heard and hold, fast and repent. If 
therefore, thou shalt not watch I will come on thee as a thief and 
thou shalt not know what honr I will come upon thee. He that 
evercometb, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not 
blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name 
before my -father, and before his angels. Kev. iii, 1, 5. '1 believe he 
that overcometh, will be washed in that spiritual water through faith 
and will be clothed in white, and will wear that robe which Christ has 
prepared for all them that love him, not with a natural, but spiritual 
love, which is unspeakable and fall of glory. I would ask those, who 
have received from the teachings of Campbell, a historical faith 
like that Israel received from " meats and drinks, and divers washings 
imposed on them until the time of the reformation." (Heb. ix, 10,) if 
they do not hunger after the substance which is the true and living 
way ? — that way which was opened within the veil — the fulfillment by- 
Christ, which has become an anchor to the soul both sure and 
steadfast? 

I will now endeavor to show how Christ will stand in the seventh 
church, which I take to bo the church in Philadelphia, and to signify 
the era of the Millenium which I shall aim to show, will be<set up on 
earth in the same manner as tbe gospel was ushered in upon the world. 
" There remaineth, therefore, a rest to the people of Goq. Heb. iv, 9. 
Seeing, therefore, it remaineth that some must enter therein, and they 
to whom it was first preached entered not in, because of'un belief (5, 6)," 
^whieh refers to the Israelites. If the Gentiles have not received it, it 



89 



mustbe on the same account, unbelief. If the Israelites were broken 
off on account of believing they could fulfil that which was required to 
lead them to faith in Christ, well might Paul charge theGentiles to fear 
lest they should be broken' off- in unoelief. This brings to mind the 
" book that is sealed, which men deliver to one that is learned, saying, 
Bead this, I pray thee: arid he saith, I cannot; for it is sealed. And 
the book is delivered to him that is not learned, saying, Read this, I 
pray thee : and he saith, I am not learned/' Isa. xxix, 11, 12. It seems 
that the Israelites akhougb learned in the promise and - law could not 
read that rest in Christ, because it was sealed • and the G-entiles could, 
not read it because they were not learned in the law and promise. Oh 
the mastery of Godliness! It was God in Christ Jesus reconciling the 
world unto himself, if believers could view with an eye of faith, the 
fulness of Christ, for it pleased the Father that in hirn should all fuU 
ness dwell. This would cast all ordinances that were required in the 
service of God, on account of sin, to the shades ; and believers would 
live through faith alone, seeing that they were kept by the power of 
God through faith unto salvation, and that there is no strength within 
themselves, as all believers once viewed before they were made alive 
by grace, and the} 7 should still continue to view that living way. How 
have the different lights been hefd forth to the world ? Through God's 
instruments. By faith Abraham believed God concerning the promise 
therefore he bore witness to others of the same, and thus faith was re- 
vealed from faith unto faith : even so, concerning the law, by Moses • 
and baptism, by John ; and the Gospel, by the apostles. If these things 
have been revealed from faith unto faith, through the servants of God 
under the dispensations of the Father and Son, should not we believe 
God able to give growth in grace through the operation of the spirit 
under the dispensation of the Holy Ghost, that faith may be revealed 
from faith unto faith and believers mighl grow in grace and in the 
knowledge of Christ unto a perfect man, (that is through faith, not in 
the flesh) and all come to see eye to eye and speak the same thing the 
truth as it is in Christ, that the earth may become filled with the 
knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the deep, and we may be 
taught of the Lord from the least to the greatest, and rest from our 
labors through faith in Christ. Abraham was not that light of prom- 
ise, but was only an instrument in the hand of God to bear it. He 
believed God and it was counted unto him for righteousness; and this 
spirit of promise which he received, by believing, distinguished him. 
That spirit was a witness to him of things hoped for, the evidence of 
things not seen, which is faith, and Abraham witnessed those things to 
others that believed, and in that way faith was revealed from faith un- 
to faith. Did this spirit of promise cease with him ? From evidence, 
we can say it did not, for Abraham only lived about seventy-eight 
years after the promise was given, and wo learn that the children of 
Israel did not receive the promise in full until upwards of four hun- 
dred years after ; but in that time we can understand that the same 
spirit of promise abounded in man} 7 . See the offspring of Abraham, 
Isaac and Jacob, carrying the bodies of their dead fathers and mothers 
to their burial in the land of Canaan which was the natural ] and of 
promise.^Gen. xlix, 30, 33. Joseph also spake at his death of the de- 
liverance of the children of Israel from Fgypt to the promised land. 
Gen. 1, 24, 25. I am bound to believe it was the same spirit of promise 
that caused the children of Israel to leave Egypt and take their march 



10 



through the wilderness to the land of promise, that caused Abraham 
to leave his kindred and go to the land of Canaan \ and this was ne- 
cessary that the spirit of promise should not be removed until it brought - 
to light the true promise: even so the spirit or light of the law, that 
was manifested to Moses. Though God said Moses was faithful in all his 
house, Num. xii, 7, yet God suffered him not to enter into the promised 
land. Moses went up unto the mountain of Isebo,to the top of Pisgah, 
and the Lord showed him the promised land, yet suffered him not to 
enter therein ; but the law that God manifested through Moses Went 
over with those of the promise who crossed over Jordan and possessed 
the land. It was necessary that the natural law should abound until 
it brought to light the great spiritual law ; even so with the light of 
baptism that God manifested through John. John was not that light, 
but came to bear witness to that light, John i, 8. Did this cease with 
John ? We can say, from evidence it did not; for John was beheaded 
before the resurrection of Christ, and the eleven Apostles were com- 
missioned to bear the same light that John came to bear witness of, 
after it was fulfilled in Christ. 

The lights of which I have been speaking, shone until the true light 
came. When the substance of these lights came, what effect did it 
have? First, the. natural promise was removed out of its place, be- 
cause it had become a veil over the eyes of the Israelites, which pre- 
vented them from viewing the land of Canaan, that was promised them 
beyond the grave through the resurrection, therefore it was necessary 
that the figure should be hid, that they might cleave to the substance 
through faith : even so by the Levitical law. When the substance of 
the law came, the natural law had become to be such a veil over their 
eyes, they rejected the substance; therefore God rejected them, and 
bound up the testimony and sealed the law amongst them, Isa. viii, 16. 
Wherefore then servet'h the law ? It was added because of transgres- 
sions, till the seed should come to'whom the promise was made. Where- 
fore the law was our Schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we 
might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no 
longer under a Schoolmaster. For ye are all the children of God by 
faith in Christ Jesus, Gal. iii, 19, 26. But before faith came they were 
kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be 
revealed, for Christ is the end of the law, for righteousness to every 
one that believeth, Rom. x, 4; even so with baptism, for many submit- 
ted themselves to John's baptism, Matt, iii, 5, 6 ; Mark i, 5,— xi, 32 ; 
but few it seems believed on Christ, the great substance of those lights. 
Therefore God rejected them, and sent forth the true light into all the 
world, and removed those different lights, or churches, out of their 
places, by bringing on them to whom the lights were given a great 
tribulation such as was not, since the beginning of the world to that 
time, Mat.xxiv, 21. Christ said that they. should fall by the edge of the 
sword and should be led away captive into all nations : and Jerusa- 
lem should be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the time of the Gen- 
tiles bo fulfilled, Luke xxi, 24, which is plain to the world, that these 
words have come to pass. 

I now will endeavor to point out how I believe those churches, which. 
I have aimed to show were figures of those three I have been speaking 
of, will be removed out of their places by a manifestation of the truth 
according to God's word. God's kingdom must come, when his will 
shall be done on earth as it is in heaven, Luke xi, 2 ; which it is plain 



41 



that the time for which Christ taught his disciples to pray has not yet 
come; neither can I believe that Nebuchadnezzar's dream in fall has yet 
come topass,asthcprophetDaniel interpreted it, batwhich I am bound to 
believe, will be fulfilled. " That a stone was cut out without hands, 
which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and 
break them to pieces. Then was the iron, the cla} r , the brass, the sil- 
ver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff 
of the summer threshing-floors, and the wind carried them away, that 
no place was found for them : and the stone that smote the image be- 
came a great mountain, and filled the whole earth," Dan. ii, 34, 35. 1 
cannot believe that the knowledge of the Lord has covered the earth 
as the waters cover the deep, yet. The verses quoted bring to my rec- 
ollection the third chapter of Joel: "For behold in those days and in 
that time when I shall bring again the captivity of Judah and Jerusa- 
lem, 1 will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the 
valley of Jehosaphat, and will plead with them there for my people 
and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the na- 
tions, and parted my land." 1 will refer to the 9th verse to prove that 
this was spoken to the Gentiles: "Proclaim ye this among the Gen- 
tiles; Prepare for war, wake up the mighty men, let all the men of war 
draw near; let them come up: Beat your ploughshares into swords, 
and your pruning-hooks into spears: let the weak say, I am strong." 
Now, according to the word of God, this chapter must be fulfilled be- 
fore the first five verses of the second chapter of Isaiah, where it is 
said nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they 
learn war any more. It is necessary that the scriptures should be ful- 
filled, and should we not notice the signs that denote their fulfilment? 
Christ said to the Pharisees : " When it is evening, ye say it will be fair 
weather, for the sky is red ; and in the morning it will befoul weather 
to-day, for the sky is red and lowering. O ye hypocrites, ye can dis- 
cern the face of the sky, but can ye not discern the signs of the times?" 
Mat. xvi, 2, 3. I think the Gentiles should well consider this passage, 
for it seems that they cannot discern at this time the signs of the times, 
though evidences be multiplied to them without number. We should 
seek after knowledge of the Lord as we seek after hidden treasure. 
See the evils that God brought on the Israelites for not continuing in 
the truth, and the plagues that he told them he would bring on them 
if they forsook him, l)eut. xxviii. We are not only to observe part of 
the commandments of God: " If thou wilt not observe to do all the 
words of this law that are written in this book, that thou mayest fear 
this glorious and fearful name, the Lord thy God, (58 v.) "If one keep 
the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all," James 
ii, 10. Let us examine for the first great commandment, love. " If a 
man say I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar," John iv, 20 ; 
therefore he is guilty in two points. We must believe it takes ail the 
true believers in Christ to constitute his true church. Wnere is the 
love in that church ? In its place we find railing, and one sect reviling 
another. Where there is no love, there should be fear, especially when 
we reflect on the evils that were threatened against Israel if they for- 
sook God : " Thou shalt plant vineyards, and dress them, but shalt 
neither drink of .the wine, nor gather the grapes; for the worms shall 
eat them," Leut. xxviii, 39. How long has the worm been in our grapes? 
Only view the fruits and abundance of the earth failing, and the dark 
shades of destruction shadowing over our land. It seems like a house 



i2 



divide^ against itself, which Christ said could not stand. These, be- 
sides the analogy between the law and gospel eras are pregnant signs, 
which demonstrate that the fulness of the Gentiles is near at hand. 

Parents are you teaching your children to remember their Creator 
in the days of their youth, or are you lulling them to destruction by 
building them up in pride? Sectarian tuition is like Saul, and pride 
like David. The one has slain its thousands while the others has slain 
it tens of thousands! I mean sectarian tuition, the culture of the 
moral faculty in infants, long before the faculties of their intellect are 
developed to the power of discrimination in the investigation of truth, 
by their tutors impressing on their memory catechisms without their 
having a comprehension of principles deduced from a code of truths. 
By such tuition the worship of God is changed to the traditions of men, 
and the house of God has become the house of pride ! In what power 
do people now seem to trust? In their own wealth and strength. This 
brings to my view the main root of the corn that is destroyed by the 
worm, and the moths in the hone}'. Is it not right that God should have 
true worship, if we have strayed from him ? Who gave us this land of 
promise, delivered us from kingly bondage, drove out the heathen tribes 
from before us and prepared our minds with the gospel? Should we 
not fear that all these privileges will be taken from us ? and why \ For 
not acknowledging God, manifested by his Spirit through Christ Jesus, 
to be all in all. Though it is necessary that all inferior governments 
should be removed, that God's kingdom may come, when his will shall 
be done on earth as it is in heaven, that we may be all taught of the 
Lord from the least to the greatest ; "when judgment shall return unto 
righteousness,'' Psa. xciv, 15 : when God shall arise to judgment to save 
all the meek of the earth, to bring them to one fold and one shepherd; 
to receive that new covenant where God said he would be unto them a 
God and they should be unto him a people ; when the Lord shall turn 
to the people a pure language that they may all call upon the name of 
the Lord to serve him witfy one consent, Zep. iii, 9; when the kingdom 
shall be the Lord's, and he shall be the governor among the nations, 
Psa. xxii, 28; when the kingdom and dominion and the greatness of 
the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of 
the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting king- 
dom, Dan. vii, 27. How will this kingdom be established \ How was 
the gospel established \ Through martyrdom j and from the sixth 
chapter of Revelation I am bound to believe that the kingdom of God 
on earth will be established in the same way ; " And when he had 
opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were 
slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: 
And they cried with a loud voice saying, How long, O Lord, holy and 
true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on 
the earth ? And white robes were given unto every one of them ; and 
it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until 
their fellow servants also, and their brethren, that they should be killed 
as they were, should be fulfilled/'' I cannot believe this passage has 
yet been fulfilled, but I believe it will be at the setting up of God's 
kingdom; and that the martyred will be resurrected and ascend to 
heaven where they will reign with Christ a thousand years before the 
general resurrection, while those on earth will be enjoying that rest 
promised to the people of God. John says, "I saw the souls of them 
that were bsheactad for the witness of Jdeus and for the word of God;" 



48 



(which I am now trying to hold forth) "and they lived and reigned 
with Christ a thousand years. But the rest of the dead lived not again 
until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection, 
Rev. xx, 4, 5. I have endeavored to show that these angels or preach- 
ers of the churches were not the light but only instruments in the hand 
of God to bear witness of the spirit which is light. I have also endea- 
vored to show that those instruments only continued for a short time, 
but thatthe spirit of faith was revealed, from faith unto faith, in the 
same manner as the gospel has been handed down. This Branch to 
which I have referred, and which shall grow out of the stem of Jesse, 
" which the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon, the spirit of wisdom and 
understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge 
and of the fear of the Lord : and he shall not judge after the sight of 
his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears; but with right- 
eousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek 
of the earth — this branch, I say, may be likened to a vine with 
many branches, which are all of the same vine. The spirit of judg- 
ment may be the spirit of judgment to many branches that sit in judg- 
ment but all of the self-same spirit, the same as the spirit of promise 
that caused Abraham to go out and view a land which he should after 
receive for an inheritance, caused Joseph when dying to make mention 
of the departing of the children of Israel, and to give commandment 
concerning his bones; for by faith Abraham sojourned in the land of 
promise, and by faith Joseph spake of those things pertaining to the 
same promise. I will use this comparison to explain more fully the 
subject : A large building may be set on fire by a small lighted shaving; 
whilst the shaving may be consumed to ashes the building may be only 
kindling, but the blaze mounting higher and higher until the whole 
building be in aflame; even so with G-od's kingdom, when his will 
shall be done on earth as it is in heaven. It may be kindled by a small 
branch and may 'not propagate fully until the kindling branch may be 
returned to mouldering dust; yet God may give the flame increase (as 
he did to the promise to* Abraham) until it shall mount higher and 
higher, until the earth becomes filled with the knowledge of the Lord 
as the waters cover the jsea ; when all shall be taught of the Lord from 
the least to the greatest and shall come to see eye to eye, and speak the 
same thing and speak the truth as it is in Christ Jesus, and receive 
that rest that is promised to the people of God in that fold where one 
Spirit will rule, to give praise in that true and living way which has 
been opened up in the house of King David for sin and uncleanness. 



/ 



WHAT IS THE MILLENNIUM? 



I have endeavored to show it will be a happy and perfect state of the 
church, when believers will all come to one fold, and be ruled by one 
spirit (by that spirit which is the seventh, of these attributes of God,) 
and shall rest from all ordinances, which were required on account of 
sin, in the service of God, through faith in the fulfilment of them in 
Christ. I hereby witness to both small and great that this spirit of 
rest I have been speaking of, is now in the world : and has been ever 
since about the time it was proven to the world, it should come : and 
this is its office in the world, to bring the sons and daughters of men 
to view with an eye of faith the fulness of Christ, and to teach them 
that they are kept by the power of God, through faith unto sal- 
vation. 

It has been proven by calculation from the fulfilment of time and 
prophecies that, the time was at hand when a change of era should 
take place; and that the taking place of that era would be the com- 
mencement of the Millennium, when the the kingdom of Christ should 
come. Through Miller, who, I believe was a servant of God, proved 
by calculation that the time was at hand when Christ's kingdom should 
come, he blinded the minds of many of his hearers concerning what 
way it would take place by saying he believed that the taking place of 
those things would be the end of time. Therefore, I witness that his 
calculation was right and his belief wrong. Christ came into 
the world according to the predictions of the prophets; yet he 
came in a way different to their expectation and also dif«* 
ferent to the expectation of those that were looking for his ap^ 
pearance : therefore he was in the world and the world knew him not. 
Likewise, by that spirit of rest which will establish Christ's kingdom 
on earth, through rest in Christ. Though Millers belief was wrong, 
yet it may serve as a warning to the Gentiles to leave them without 
excuse, if there should come a great desolation on them as it 
did on Israel at their fulness, which the prophets have said should 
come. 

As light is to the eye to behold objects and evidence to the under- 
standing to believe, or disbelieve, even so is design, to action. There 
seems to be two grand designs in the world : that which is of the 
spirit, and that of nature. The great design of the spirit has germi- 
nated in the world and put forth to that work pertaining to that which 
is spiritual : whilst the grand design of nature has germinated and put 
forth to that which is natural. And as tares are sown amongst the 
good seed of the field, even so are evil designs sown amongst them 
which are good. And as the production of the evil seed sterns to'over- 
come that of the good seed of the field, without the cultivator cuts 
them down; just so by the branches of natural design : if they are not 
pruned off (by the primer) they seem to incumber those branches of 
the design of the spirit. For that of nature seems to gender to bond- 
age, misery and death; whilst that of the spirit seems- to put forth to 



45 



life, liberty and joy. See the design that prompted Adam to partake 
of the forbidden fruit. He had a natural design to beuome wise, while 
it led him to bondage, labor and death. Also the children of Israel 
when fed with quails and manna — they were moved by a natural de- 
sign, to make them a golden god ; which caused three thousand of 
them to fall victims to death in one day, while others who were prompt- 
ed to act from spiritual designs, met with great deliverance. See Dan- 
iel that was delivered from the Lion's den ; the three Hebrew children 
from the fiery furnace; Elijah, when fed by the fowls of the air; the 
children of Israel, delivered from Egyptian bondage and fed upon 
quails and manna. As all putting forth of nature seems to be from 
seed to perfection, we are bound to believe in like manner by the 
church. If the church is destined to perfection in this world, we 
must believe there will be a great pruning off of natural designs from 
the vino. If God should arise to prune his vine and field to a per- 
fect state, we must believe, of the professed church would fall thou- 
sands, while of the world would fall multiplied tens of thousands. 
How can a house on fire contain its blaze ? I am bound to speak, if 
it is against myself: how many are there now in the present age, 
that would come boldly out on the Lord's side and put their whole 
trust in the Lord, as the three Hebrew children did when they re- 
garded not the fiery flames, through faith, though the furnace was 
made one seven times hotter- than it was wont to be made? and as 
Daniel, before he would forsake the Lord, disregarded the com- 
mandment of King Darius and accepted a dwelling in the lion's 
den ? 

. O, if the time is now at hand when the world shall be tried by fire, 
as the prophets have said ; if it should only be fiery trials like as 
came on Israel at their fulness, how many w T ould be able to stand, 
much more if they should be tried like the three Hebrew children, by 
the fiery flames ? " For behold the day corneth, that shall burn as 
an oven ; and all the proud, yea, all that do wickedly, shall be stubble; 
and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of 
hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch. But unto 
you that fear my name, shall the sun of righteousness arise with 
healing in his wings." Mala, iv, 1, 2. The same where John "saw 
as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire; and them that 
had gotten the victory over the beast and over his image, 
and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand 
on the sea of glass, having the harps of God. And they sing the 
song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb." 
ftev. xv, 2: also Psalms 1. Therefore I exhort both small and great 
to fall on that sure foundation, a full trust in God through the right- 
eousness of his Son Christ Jesus. That which is natural was only 
given that we might obtain that which is spiritual; therefore it is neces- 
sary that which is of the spirit should overcome that which is of na- 
ture that there may be showers of blessings poured out on the earth — 
those blessings that are promised to the church in her pure state in 
this world, when God " shall turn to the people a pure language, 
that they may all call upon the name of the Lord to serve him with one 
consent." Zeph. iii. 9: when Satan shall be bound a thousand years. 
Eev. xx, 2: when nations shall not learn war any more. Isa. ii. 4 : 
when the w T olf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall 
lie down with the kid ; and the calf and the young lion and the failings 



46 



together. Isa. xi, G: when the kingdom shall be given to the saints of 
the Most High. Dan. vii, 27: when the tree of the field shall yield 
her fruit and the earth her increase. Ezek. xxxiv, 27 : when the 
Lord for brass will bring gold, and for iron silver, and make our exac- 
tors righteousness. Tsa. ix, 17. 



ON INSPIRATION. 



As darkness, in the beginning, « was upon the face of tho deep ; and 
the spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters : and God said, let 
there be light and there was light/' Gen. i, 2, 3; even so by the world 
"Darkness in tho beginning, was upon the face of the deep depravity of 
their hearts : and the spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters; 
that is, the great depth of their hearts. And God said let there be 
light and there was light. But, the manner in which the Divine inspi- 
ration has been given to the sacred writings is a question of more than 
mere cariosity. Every work of God is done in an orderly, rational 
manner, so as to concur and harmonize together as one grand chain. 
And if what I have written does not concur with the Promise, .Law 
and Prophets, it will not stand. But we must take heed not to confine 
God's works to one particular form, and say it must be thus and so, or 
not at all, as the Israelites did at the coming of Christ. God is sover- 
eign of his own ways and so does his wonderous works that they may 
appear in everlasting remembrance a fountain of light. As God has 
spoken at sundry times to our fathers and predecessors in divers man- 
ners, ever adapting the manner to time and place and circumstance, 
even so has he bestowed his gifts to his servants; not according to 
man's views, but according to his own purpose, in a way to display the 
knowledge, wisdom, power and goodness of his own sovereignty. 

As the apostles did not seem to speak as though they spake from an 
inspiration of suggestion, as the prophets did; but, as from an antece-* 
dent idea or knowledge of the things written in the holy Scriptures; 
even so when one understands God's word and his manner of dealing 
with men, and sees the events to which the present age is giving birth, 
and investigates them together — what is to hinder him from under- 
standing the signs of the times; much more, when he has a living wit- 
ness within himself, that he is enjoying that rest through faith in the 
merits of Christ that was promised to the people of God ? I do not con- 
tend for such an inspiration as implies that even words are dictated or 
phrases suggested, but I profess to speak from a living witness and a 
clear understanding of the Law and Gospel dispensations, as hiero- 
graphers did who were left to the use of their own words. Or other- 
wise, I would exclude myself; but when I call to mind the contradic- 
tion that the Apostles had to bear, that were unlearned, I can view as a 
living witness how they were strengthened through faith. It appears that 
the Lord gave the prophets to understand from a suggestion, by a move, 
ment on the organs of hearing and seeing, to speak the word under the 
dispensation of the Father: so it appears that the Lord gives his ser- 
vants to understand the word by an operation of his Spirit on the hearts 
with an antecedent testimony under the dispensation of the Spirit. And 
it seems to me that a spiritual man, discerning in that way, has a more 
bright and sensible idea of those things than if he did perceive them by 
the ear ; or even view them by the natural eye. Those things are much 
plainer to men that have experienced grace than they can be made to 
a natural minded man. 



48 

Now, though this impression may be sufficient to convince the spirit- 
ual minded man (who has given himself to the Lord for wisdom,) that 
his instruction did come from the Lord, yet it may be intended also, 
for the use of others : therefore, the one that has received it should be 
enabled, by some convincing proof, to evidence to those who were con- 
cerned, to enable them to embrace it, or leave them without excuse. 

When we appeal to the sacred writ, we find men are made free agents, 
by a free choice being set before them. The children of Israel, of 
which was composed the first church, had the promise, law and pro- 
phets to lead them to faith in Christ. And it appears that they left the 
way-marked road to follow after the commandments and traditions of 
men. ]N~ow when Christ came according to God's predictions which 
had been set before them, were they not left without excuse when they 
were broken off for refusing that rest that God had prepared for them? 
I will say to the present church, and also to the world, take heed lest 
you be left in the same condition as Israel was just mentioned. Let 
me call to your minds how you have strayed from the word of God 
and followed after unbelief and traditions and the commandments of 
men, like Israel. Is not God through his word able to cause men to 
preach his Gospel in its true light? Well, where is the man that is 
preaching, but what is preaching from a borrowed light? from men's 
writings and not from a knowledge of the word of God within them- 
selves ? I think we may safely say this is the rule while few are the 
exceptions. 

Let us examine next where is the church ? We must believe it takes 
all the believers in Christ to constitute the church; and we are bound 
to believe there are several hundred different sects in the world at this 
time; and there cannot be even two without error; therefore it seems 
that there are several hundred faults in the church : and if this be the 
standing of the church what could be said about the world ? I will in- 
clude both and say, if you have strayed from the light of the Gospel, 
as Israel did, if God should offer you that rest that is promised to the 
people of God according as it is in Christ Jesus, and you were to re- 
fuse it, would you not be left without excuse if you should be broken 
off as Israel was ? JS T ow when a nation of people leave this way-marked 
road, like Israel did, and goes astray in hunting for wild marks, what 
kind of evidence would God have to produce, to convince them con- 
cerning his designs ? Let us examine to see if turning water into 
wine would do. O no ! Would healing the sick, unstopping the deaf 
ears, and opening the eyes of the blind do? O no! Would casting 
out devils and the performing many other miracles, such as feeding five 
thousand with five loaves and two small fishes do ? O no ! 

Then the inquiry may be made, what will do? It seems no evidence 
that can be produced to the natural senses of men ; therefore the im- 
pression should be made on the heart. Wherefore God has said, son 
give me thy heart. He does not say give it to ordinances and sectarian 
creeds. For I am hound to believe it will take the same convincing 
power to cause men to believe at the present time as it did in the days 
of old; and it seems that no outward mark or notes, of which they, by 
their natural senses were enabled to judge, would do. All the miracles 
wrought of God, for the confirmation of Christ, to be the Messiah, 
though they were brilliant and powerful to the natural sensitive powers 
of men, yet seem to be set at nought. Though that age had given birth 
to the fulfilment of the promise, law and prophecies, yet it seemed to 



40 



avail nothing with those it was performed amongst: for the receiving 
of Christ was a spiritual work; therefore it was a mystery to them, 
for it was spiritually discerned by repentance towards God and through 
faith in Christ. Even so by this rest; I have endeavored to show it is 
a spiritual work, therefore it is spiritually discerned and has to be re~ 
ceived through faith. This may seem as strange to the Gentiles as re- 
ceiving of Christ was to Israel. 

I might write volumes on those truths just hinted at, and then not 
be able to paint them in the colors they should appear in. O no ! for 
they call for the deepest displays; yes, for more than the eloquence of 
a Cicero. Oh that way-marked road that was marked out by the 
Promise, Law and Prophets, and opened by the merits of a crucified, 
risen and ascended Saviour! That most glorious plan which is recon- 
ciling to God and safe to man ! If it was not for that way I would be 
forever lost in gloom and darkness, sorrow and pain. I want no other 
but that true and living way. Some say they cannot understand me 
concerning rest from ordinances in the service of God through faith in 
the fulfilment of them in Christ. I know I am stammering in expres- 
sion, but if they understood the word of God as well as they do secta- 
rian creeds, or some noted sermons that are in print, I think they could 
understand me, as stammering as I am. 

Though the church and the world seem to think I am running de- 
ranged after one thing, that is faith; I will retort the same belief con- 
cerning them, with these exceptions: The church after sectarianism 
and the world after vanity. If I am kept by the power of God through 
faith unto salvation, I am only an instrument in the hand of 9od, as 
the pen is in mine to perform this writing, and if I have written this 
work in the service of God the matter will stand. If I have not per- 
formed this work in the service of God the matter will pass away as a 
vapor and be forgotten as a dream. 

NOTE. The author not only gives the right to, but requests any person who may feel 
so inclined, to republish this pamphlet, whenever and wherever it is desired to do so. 

7 



A FI7ETI1ER EXPLANATION OF MILLEEISM. 



Believing the doctrine this man held forth to the world to be true, 
and the belief of himself and many others concerning the doctrine to 
be erroneous, I will therefore give my views briefly on tho subject, en- 
deavoring to explain the true position of the doctrine, showing the 
error of Mr. Miller's own belief and that of others on the subject. Mr. 
Miller held forth the prophesy of Daniel and that of revelation, where 
they spake of the rise and fall of the kingdoms down, until a change 
of era should take place, and proved by analogy, in comparing the his- 
torv of the rise and fall of the kingdoms to the prophecies, that the 
time was at hand when a change of era should take place. Then he 
expressed his opinion on the event and endeavored to prove that that 
change of era would be the end of time. Here, in explanation, I will 
call to mind a former instance: Christ came into the world at the pre- 
dicted time of the prophets, and was in the world near thirty years 
before he was fully manifested to the world. In like manner so in this 
event, that was proved by Mr. Miller to be at hand. From evidence 
beyond that of nature, I have been trying to bear witness to the 
church and also to the world ever since about the time Mr. Miller 
proved by analogy a change of era should take place, concerning that 
spirit which will establish Christ's kingdom here on earth, which was 
manifested to man about that time, and is now in the world, the same 
as Christ was, before he was fully manifested to the world; that is, a 
spirit of rest (through faith in the fulfilment of them in Christ), from 
all those ordinances which had been required on the account of sin, 
and which spirit of rest is revealed from faith unto faith, the same as 
he spirit of the promise given to Abraham. Man has, it seems, ever 
blinded himself concerning these great events by supposition, pride 
and desire. The Israelitish church, it seems, expected and desired 
Christ to come as a great earthly monarch, to rule and deliver Israel 
physically, that they might overcome tho w©rld by their greatness. 
'The Gentile church seems so divided that there comes in many expecta- 
tions and desires; some, it appears, have been trying to revolutionize 
the world by sectarianism, others by the spread of the gospel mingled 
with sectrrianism. Now, some of our ablest divines are expecting 
Christ suddenly to make his appearance, to rule as a mighty king here 
on earth, to establish sectarianism throughout the world, and set up 
his kingdom hei'e on earth. It seems that the expectations, pride and 
desire of the gentile church, are now as great as they were in among 
Israelites at their fulness, and that they have greater cause to fear, of 
being broken off in unbelief, than Israel had at the eve of their de- 
struction. One grand cause which prevented the world from receiv- 
ing Christ at his coming, was that they thought, verily, that the event 
wou d come in a miraculous manner. But we find Christ came in such 
a meek and lowly manner, so different from the expectation of those 
that were expecting his appearance, that the pride of the world did 
not admit them to receive him, even so, by this rest which has so long 
been promised to the people of God, which is received through faith iii 
the fullness of Christ Jesus our Lord.- 
June, 1861 



PJRAYER OF R. L. PAYNE, IN THE YEAK 1862. 



Oh! Father of Heaven and earth, remember in mercy that the 
weakness and un worthiness of man is very great. I pray thee to 
pardon my weakness and un worthiness, my many offences, many 
shortcomings, and everything amiss of me, and blot them out of thy 
book of remembrance from against me, and deliver me from the pow- 
er of darkness and the thraldoms of sin and the thraldems of this 
world, and heal my bodily infirmities, and enable me to go forth and wor- 
ship thee in spirit and in truth, and live in a right and acceptable man- 
ner before thee. Suffer me not to enter into temptation, but deliver 
me from temptation and drive every evil spirit from me, and let thy 
spirit dwell within me, to guide me into all truth. Teach me what 
thou wouldst have me to do, and enable me to perform accordingly. 
Govern my mind and direct my determinations, and grant to be unto 
me a God, and enable me to be unto thee a living branch of that true 
and living vine, and enable me to bring forth much fruit unto thy glo- 
ry, ahd keep me from bringing forth any thing contrary to thy will. 
Take my feet out of the mire and clay and place them on that rock 
that is higher than I, and enable me to run and not be weary, and walk 
and not faint in thy cause. Grant to give mo more faith, more love, 
and more zeal, and drive every gloomy cloud from my skies, and ena- 
ble me to view the true and living way aright and rejoice therein. 
Grant to bo my strength, my deliverer, my comforter, my provider, my 
instructor, my sun, and my shield ; my all and all. Conduct me through 
life; serve thy righteous will with me here below, and finally receive 
me into thy everlasting kingdom, where the praise shall be thine for- 
ever. 

Oh! Lord, help thy believing children everywhere; enable them to 
grow in grace, and in the knowledge and love of our Lord and Saviour 
Jesus Christ, unto a perfect man, and unto the measure and stature of 
the fulness of Christ, and may they all come to see eye to eye and 
speak the same thing and speak the truth as it is in Christ Jesus, and 
be built up a spiritual house filled with love, marching on conquering 
in thy name that discord and divisions and subdivisions may be ban- 
ished from them, to return unto them no more. Oh help thy dispersed 
Israelites, remember them in mercy let them be where they may, and 
causethe veil of unbelief to be thrown from their eyes and enable them to 
see the truth asitisin Christ,and come with speed according to thy word, 
to one fold, to be united in Christ the living head, that they may receive 
that blessing promised to thy terrestrial fold here on earth. Spare our na- 
tion, spare them, I pray thee,and cause thy word to be proclaimed to them 
as it is in Christ Jesus, and it may be they may return unto thee with full 
purpose of heart. Help the world throughout, cause the power of 
Garkness to cease to prevail on the earth and let thy glorious light shine 
forth from the east to the west, and from the north to the south that 
the world may become revolutionized unto thee, that the nations may 
not rise and fall as vegetation, but that they may rise and be pruned 
by thy word as the seedling for the graft and let thy spirit be ingraft- 



52 



ed into them to bring forth fruit unto holiness, and in the end everlast- 
ing life ; cause satan's kingdom to he broken down and let thy kingdom 
come, that thy will may be done on earth, as it is in heaven, that we 
may all come to know thee which is life eternal to know, and be 
brought down to our graves in peace, and be finally received into thy 
everlasting kingdom, where the praise shall be forever thine, Amen. 



ON A NEW BIETH. 



Except a man bo born of water and of the Spirit he cannot enter 
into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and 
that which is born of the Spirit is Spirit. John iii, 5, 6. To be born 
is to be brought into life : and that birth that Christ here spoke of, 
was bringing a man into a spiritual life, which gives a spiritual know- 
ledge of spiritual things, and forms within a living hope of an eternal 
life through Jesus Christ the Lord, 

In our preliminary remarks we will endeavor to show how a man is 
spirituallydead, that he necdeth to be brought into a spiritual life. 
" As in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But 
every man in his own order.'' I Cor. xv, 22, 23. That is, in the fall of 
Adam the human family was sunk under the sentence of a natural 
death, and had become subjects of a spiritual promise, to which sub- 
jects it was given in the promise of another life through the resurrec- 
tion of Christ; and to that promise there was a spiritual law added, 
which will make the order, which was the ten commandments; which 
every person, who comes to the state of discrimination or accountabil- 
ity to God, breaks and sinks under the sentence or condemnation 
thereof, which is eternal death : respecting whom Christ spake the 
words of our choice : " Except a man be born of water and of the 
spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born 
of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is Spirit/' We 
will treat on the last verse of our text first, in order to show the dis- 
tinction between that which is natural or physical and that which is 
spiritual. Secondly, on the first verse, and endeavor to show a man is 
born of water, and of the Spirit : and close with a few remarks on the 
awful consequence that will attend those that will not be permitted to 
enter into the kingdom of God. We find that wisdom is accompanied 
with evidence, and ignorance with imagination, therefore we will try 
to establish our remarks with evidence. The words of our choice were 
spoken by Christ to a man named Nicodemus, who was a ruler of the 
Jews. Though this man was a ruler of a nation, learned in the law 
and oracles of God, yet he was a stranger to spiritual knowledge, and 
seemed to marvel at it as a mystery, but since the manifestation of the 
new birth, there have been two distinct senses in the world, one a nat- 
ural and the other spiritual ; that of nature (which before existed) is 
gifted with organs to the apprehension of natural things; whilst 
that of the Spirit is endued with the apprehension of spiritual things. 
Much may be said in favor of the law and law dispensation of the gos- 
pel, in humanizing the mind and modifying the ferocious passions of 
man : yet the law in its brightest display could not convey to man one 
ray of spiritual knowledge : and also, the law may be accompanied 
with natural philosophy brought to its utmost perfection, and con- 
veyed to the mind of natural men, with all the art of oratorical display 
and yet they cannot give to them life, or one ray of spiritual know, 
ledge* They may give to man a natural knowledge of spiritual things 



54 



but not a spiritual knowledge of spiritual things: " for the world by 
wisdom knew not God," and also, " the natural man receiveth not the 
things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness unto him, neither 
can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned." I Cor. ii, 
14. For a further illustration of this matter, we will take a school boy, 
raised in America, learned in geography, so that he can tell all the 
geographical history of Europe, yet he would not be a competent wit- 
ness of these facts, though he might be able to tell a more correct his- 
tory of that country than one who has travelled all through its regions, 
yet the traveler would be the witness, whilst the school boy's state- 
ment would be only prima facie testimony. To come down to the evi- 
dence that shows how a sinner comes into the peculiar covenant of 
God, or to be born again, to receive spiritual knowledge; we will take 
the Levitical law, which was a type of the spiritual fulness of the mer- 
its of Christ. Now under the law dispensation, the election, or God's 
manner of choosing, was by the service of the Levitical law, which 
law was given to the natural understanding or senses of man, and was 
performed with a natural performance, to the purifying of the flesh ; 
which gave a historical faith of the fulfilment of the law in Christ, and 
, the law covenant was sealed by a natural seal, which was circumcis- 
ion s this was called a covenant of works ; therefore the law served as 
a schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, to receive spiritual knowledge 
by grace through faith. The service of the law was acceptable for sin 
until the Seed or great Antitype should come ; but the comers there- 
unto were not made perfect as pertaining to the conscience, but were 
shut up into the faith which should afterwards be revealed, which faith 
gives spiritual knowledge and revealed to man that " mystery which 
hath been hid from ages, and from generations, but now is made mani- 
fest to his saints : To whom God w r ould make known what is the riches 
of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in 
you the hope of glory;" Col. i, 26, 27. Not Christ formed in }-ou by a 
natural covenant, but by a spiritual covenant, which covenant natural 
ordinances do not pertain to. a Now we have received, not the spirit 
of the world, but the spirit which is of God ; that we might know the 
things that are freely given to us of God." For what man knoweth 
the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him ? even so 
the things of God knoweth no man but the Spirit of God." I Cor. ii, 11, 
12. So this clearly teacheth us, as the spirit of man discerneth natural 
things, even so if we have the Spirit of God, we can discern spiritual 
things; and if we have not the Spirit of Christ we are none of his, and 
are destitute of spiritual knowledge. 

Now to point out how a sinner obtains this Spirit, brings us to the 
first verse of our text, (which is one of the weightiest matters that ever 
was comprised in words.) "Except a man be born of water and of 
the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." If ordinances 
under the law could not give life, how can a man be born of natural 
water, (which is an ordinance,) to receive a spiritual life ? ■ For if there 
had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness 
should have been by the law. But the scripture hath concluded all 
under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to 
them that believe. Let us examine God's manner of choosing under 
the new covenant, to further illustrate this subject : it is by the elec- 
tion of grace, which is unmerited favor, which prepares a sinner to be 
a fit subject for entrance into the kingdom of God : " For by grace are 



55 



3 r e saved, through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of 
God: not of works, lest any man should boast." Eph. ii, 8, 9. If be- 
ing born of the water and of the Spirit is unmerited favor bestowed on 
us, in what way do we obtain it? In reply: it must be by the merits 
of Christ, which we obtain through faith. Let us examine for the tes- 
timony. "It became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are 
all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the Captain of 
their salvation perfect through suffering." Heb. ii, 10. "Not by 
works of righteousness which we have done, but according to bis 
mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the 
Holy Ghost, which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our 
Saviour. That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs 
according to the hope of eternal life." Titus iii, 5, 6, 7. In what way 
are we made heirs, according to the hope of eternal life? The above 
verse tells us that God saved us by the washing of regeneration and 
renewing of the Holy Ghost through Christ; which surely is a fulfil- 
ment of this part of our text, that said, " except a man be born of 
water and of the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." 
This is "being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorrupti- 
ble, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever," which 
word is Christ, I Pet. i, 23. Then we know, " this is he that came by 
water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water 
and blood, and it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit 
is true." I John v, 6. Then we are also made living witnesses of this 
new birth: yes, of that spiritual water, that great antitype, which 
flowed from Christ's side, for the healing of the nations, and that spirit 
of promise, the seal of the new covenant, which was sent into the 
world on the day of Pentecost, which was the great Antitype of the 
seal of the old covenant : " For he is not a Jew which is one outwardly, 
neither is that circumcision which is outward in the flesh : but he is a 
Jew which is one inwardly, and circumcision is that of the heart, in 
the Spirit, and not in the letter: whose praise is not of man, but of 
God." Kom. ii, 28, 29. Further, Paul to the Ephesians, i, 13, "after 
that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise." 
Likewise, I John iii, 24, says, " hereby we know that he abideth in us, 
by the Spirit which he hath given us ;" and that Spirit is love, love to 
God and love to man. That lofty steeple that once adorned the church 
of God, which is now brought low, veiled in popularity and sectarian- 
ism. Now if any man has not received the application of this water 
and Spirit (which is obtained by repentance towards God, and through 
faith in Christ) he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. The inquiry 
should be then, have we obtained them or not; which is easy in one 
way to decide : have we an internal law of rectitude, which by practice 
we find we never can fill, only through faith. Have we that Spirit 
bearing witness with our spirits that we are born of God ? which is a 
seal that we have obtained the whole; if we have not, we may know 
we arc in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity, and with- 
out God in the world, subjects of eternal death. If this should be the 
standing of any now living, how important must it be, to seek those 
things which will enable them to shun the evil, and obtain that most 
heavenly prize, which is God's everlasting kingdom. Amen. 

E. L. PAYNE. 



SUPPLEMENT 

TO THE 

PROCLAMATION OF THE MILLENIUM. 

OR, 

Stat %tt\ grotafeflfli to tfoe §w#e »f <B*rl 

BIT 11 lP^.ir^rE. 



PREMISES, 



As premises for the remarks I have set forth concerning that happy 
era, called the Millenium, I have endeavored to show that the seventh 
day, Sabbath, was given as an ordinance or figure of that rest which 
remameth for the people of God ; which rest will be received in the 
seventh era. I take the Seven Churches in Asia (Rev. i, 4) to signify 
seven eras, to show that they have all been fulfilled except the seventh 
one, now dawning upon us, called the Millenium, that happy period 
when God's Kingdom shall be established upon the earth. I have 
also endeavored to show that as the seventh day was to be kept holy it 
signified a holy rest to be received ; and the children of Israel not 
entering into that rest, on account of their unbelief, clearly shows 
that this rest is to be received only through faith. Now this holy 
rest shall vouchsafe to man an entire freedom from the pains and 
penalties of the ordinances given for his guidance, through faith, in 
their fulfillment, in Christ. 

Concerning the fulfillment of these eras, I take the ground that the 
government of America was established upon principles similar to those 



2 



upon which the government of Israel was established ; that it has re- 
ceived the like blessings that were conferred upon the Israelites ; that 
as the Israelites were regarded as the head of the church under the 
Law dispensation so are we to be regarded as the head of the Gentile 
church under the Gospel dispensation ; that the same striking events 
have transpired amongst our people to show forth their fulness as were 
manifested in the Israelites to show forth their fulness ; that the time 
is at hand when God requires that rest of the Gentile church that he 
once required of the Israelites ; and that man has to come to a full 
growth in grace to obtain a perfect faith, and that it will require a 
perfect faith to carry him safely through that desolation spoken of 
by the prophet, which is to come upon the Gentiles, for the cleansing 
of their hearts, the regeneration of the earth, and the setting up of 
God's Kingdom, when his will shall be done on earth. And I draw the 
analogy between the fulfillment of the Law and Gospel dispensations 
to prove that that desolation is near at hand. 

In testimony of what I have asserted, I will ask the reader, after he 
has perused these pages, to decide upon two prominent propositions 
that I will submit for his consideration : 

First. — Has Christ fulfilled, according to the way I have ser forth, 
or has he not ? 

Second. — Does God, in the same manner, require that rest now of 
the Gentile church, or does he not ? 

The general tenor of this work is to put down all sectarianism and 
unite the Church of God in one fold, on one common platform, through 
faith in the righteousness of Christ alone. 



TRUE AND CERTAIN. 



Man had better remain ire total ignorance than not to accompany wisdom 
with uprightness of heart. 



Much depends upon a correct training of the mind, especially con- 
cerning faith, on which this matter is founded. Therefore every indi- 
vidual, especially teachers in the cause of Christ, should be governed 
by the Word of God in their belief and worship, and not by the tra- 
ditions and practices of men ; for a perfect growth in grace is not based 
upon works or ceremonies, but upon faith. Some who are called able 
divines seem to think it unreasonable and absurd for one unlearned in 
the science of language to attempt to teach in the great mystery of 
Godliness, by holding forth faith for justification, in opposition to all 
the most learned in the natural science, in their mode of worship, by 
works for justification. 

Let us appeal to God's manner of dealing with the human family. 
According to his word we find that it has been his good pleasure to 
use men as instruments in manifesting light and knowledge in the 
great mystery of Godliness to the human family; and we find that 
his manner of choosing was generally at variance with the desires as 
well as expectations of men ; for he even sent his beloved Son into the 
world in such a meek and lowly manner that he came unto his own 
and they received him not. The Apostles he chose, with the exception 
of one, were unlearned fishermen, and that one was at first an unre- 
lenting persecutor of the cause he was afterwards called to defend. 
And according to the Word, we find " how that not many wise men 
after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called : but 
God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise ; 
and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the 
things which are mighty ; and base things of the world, and things 
which are despised, hath God chosen 5 ' (1 Cor. i, 26-28), to carry out 
his purposes ; and man should not think it unreasonable or absurd for 
God to cause light to spring up through a very weak instrument to 
accomplish his work. Therefore, hear all ; sift well, and store away 
the wheat and blow away the chaff. 



4 



When we attempt to make an investigation of a great subject, like 
the one under consideration , we should make ourselves acquainted with 
every fact relating to it, and give them our serious attention. We 
should therefore read the Scriptures, and ponder well every passage 
which tends to form the grand chain of association in this matter ; for 
skepticism too often finds a lodgment in a narrow and contracted mind, 
and such a mind is unable to move in the train of association which 
discovers to us the difference between the word of God and the con- 
dition the world would be in without it, and the association between 
the given word, corresponding through different ages, to the fulfillment 
of the same in Christ ; which this work is designed to show. 

There seems to be an expectation existing in the minds of many of 
those conversant with the Bible, based upon the testimony of the 
Prophets, of the rapid approach of the Millenium, and I wish to say 
something in regard to this expectation. 

We should be careful how we form opinions on important expected 
events, especially like the one under consideration, on which depend 
the hope and happiness of the world. It seems that if the fulfillment 
of any event accords with the expectations of man, it immediately 
wins his favor and belief ; but if it does not he is apt to frown upon it 
with skepticism. For evidence, we refer to the expectations of the 
Israelites concerning the expected Messiah before he came. Though 
he did come, according to the very prophecies on which their expecta- 
tions were based, yet they received him not, because of the erroneous- 
ness of their expectations. They expected him to come as a Natural 
Deliverer, but because he came as a Spiritual Deliverer, they rejected 
and spurned him. 

Let this then be a warning to those who expect a Millenium and the 
establishment of God's Kingdom on earth, that you do not steadfastly 
say within yourselves by imaginations ''what way it shall come," lest 
you refuse it when it does come. If we believe in it we should ex- 
amine the testimony that proves in what way it shall come, lest we 
fall into the error of unbelief and reject it as the Israelites did Christ. 
I will ask for consideration this question : Will it be established upon 
a rest from natural labor and a physical union, or a spiritual rest from 
natural ordinances, through faith in their fulfillment in Christ, which 
produces heavenly union established by spiritual love ? 



PROGRESS IN GRACE. 



In the apprehension of many apparently truth-searching people, 
there appears to be some great object to be accomplished, like making 
an ascent up a vast mountain in search of precious gems. As this 
mountain will constitute the ground-work for our remarks, by way of 
comparison, we will attempt to describe it in the following manner : 
This mountain is surrounded by a vast plane, extending to its base, 
containing bogs, thorns and thistles, commingled with every variety 
of fruits, flowers and other blessings. In ascending this mountain, 
there are belts or table-lands, of which the first, in Western language, 
would be called the second bottom, which we compare to an object 
like a precious gem — around which is a vale at the top of the first 
ascent, dividing the second plane from the first. Thence beyond this 
first table, and a short distance up the mountain, is the second vale ; 
thence near the top of this mountain is the second belt or table, which 
we will call the Garden of Eden — which we compare to an object like 
a more precious gem, also abounding with many sweet flowers, deli- 
cious fruits and other blessings of life, clear of thorns, thistles and 
other plagues. Above this is the wide-extended top of the mountain, 
which we will call the Garden of Beatitude — which we compare to an 
object like a most precious gem — which also abounds with the richest 
flowers, most delicious fruits, and the greatest blessings ever vouch- 
safed to men or angels. Near the midst thereof stands the Tree of Life. 

Turning our attention now to the foot of this mountain, there is a 
narrow way leading up through the vales unto the Garden of Eden, 
pointing to the Tree of Life in the Garden of Beatitude, where the 
fruit of this tree descends from its extended bows into the Garden of 
Eden, and rolls down this narrow way even unto the gate in the first 
vale near the foot of the mountain. On each side of this narrow way, 
up near the Garden of Eden, sweet flowers, delicious fruits and other 
blessings so abound that the wayfaring man can travel therein and gather 
and use thereof sufficient for his need and comfort. But as these 
fruits, flowers and other blessings extend from this narrow way, they 
become mixed with wild flowers, wild fruits and small plagues, until, 
at length, thistles, thorns and other plagues spring up amongst the 
whole. 

But that which should most interest us is, to know how to find this 
narrow way and travel therein. In answer to this, the way across this 
first vast and extended plane, leading up this mountain, and pointing 
to the Tree of Life, was first manifested by God to man by a pattern, 
which the followers of this pattern set up as waymarks until they came 



6 



to this way, which was open to all who would enter therein ; and though 
many invitations were extended and many infallible proofs given that 
it was the only true and living way, there were hut few who would 
make the choice. But with the host, for their continuance in scorn, 
pride and unbelief, which caused them to reject that narrow way, God's 
anger became kindled against them, and he suffered a great desolation 
to come upon them, which destroyed all but a remnant ; which remnant 
was dispersed throughout this vast plane, and the glorious invitation 
to come and view the Tree of Life was turned to the Gentiles, and 
those waymarks which had been set up, pointing the way to ail who 
would come, which, with the invitation, caused many of the Gentiles 
to accept and seek this narrow way ; but there were so many broad 
ways leading off from this narrow way into this vast extended plane, 
branching off amongst the wild flowers, wild fruits, thistles and thorns, 
and ending in those bogs, numbers of them were seduced and deceived, 
and many, after they had started on in this narrow way, were led off, 
some by one cause and some by another — some so far that they were un- 
able to return ; but those who resolved to find the right way, or die in 
the attempt, and seek it with their whole heart, found they were carry- 
ing a burden they had never felt before, and the higher they ascended 

the greater their burden felt ; and looking each wav for relief, and see- 
to " o V 

ing the vale extended before them, the darker the way appeared, until 
their weakness and their burden became so great, with death behind 
and no hope of life before them, they at length arrived, exhausted, at 
this straight gate, but not able to ascend the mighty step to enter 
therein. 

Whilst they thus paused without hope, sinking under the burden 
they were carrying, they looked through this straight gate, up that 
narrow way, which guided their dying eyes up to the Tree of Life, the 
fruit of which flowed to their relief, and gave them strength to sur- 
mount that mighty step through the straight gate; and, feasting on 
this most glorious fruit of life, caused them to go on their way re- 

to O */ 

ioicing, until some of them began to let the flowers, fruits and other 

«i to' to 7 

blessings by the wayside attract their attention so much that they be- 
came dissatisfied in merely gathering enough to supply their needs, 
but began to gather to lay up to satisfy their craving desires ; which, 
in some, it was like open space which never has been so filled that 
there was not room for more. So they went to work to satisfy their 
desires instead of supplying their needs ; and so intent were they in 
gathering that they wandered far from this narrow way, and did not 
stop until they got amongst the wild flowers and wild fruits, and began 
to feel the stings of the thistles and thorns, which awakened them to 
a sense of their danger, and caused them to again seek this narrow 
way, and never rested content until they found it and tasted of that 
healing fruit, which cured the sting. Some soon began to wander 
again, but experience having taught them to be more watchful, but 
few went so far as to get among the thistles and thorns again. 

The desire of others has not been so great as even to lead them to 



7 



gather wild flowers, especially wild fruits, but they had a greater desire 
to gather than to press on in that narrow way, and were satisfied to 
gather while stepping in and out of the way occasionally, without ad- 
vancing one step towards the greater prize set before them. 
«» Coming down to the present day, when this greater object seems to 
be fostered in the minds of many, there are some looking towards the 
prize set before them, and concluding that it is too far in the distance for 
them ever to reach it, they content themselves with this belief Here 
I am bound to acknowledge that it is judging their progress by the pro-' 
gress of those just described. Others seem to be waiting for this more 
glorious gem to come to them without making any effort to obtain it. 
Others deny that there is any prize before them in this life more than 
they have already obtained. Some have been praying the " Father 
that his kingdom might come and his will be done in earth as it is in 
heaven," which is that more precious gem, without making any effort 
to be ready to enter therein. Others, it seems, have left this narrow 
way far enough to put the second vale between them and the object set 
before them, and appearing to discern this greater object through the 
vale, are endeavoring to obtain the prize, marching on in their own 
strength, having the vale before them, and seem to be sure of success, 
if they can get all to follow them ; and some saying this is the way, 
and others saying " Lo here, and lo there,'' but all are looking through 
this vale, and do not seem to consider the impossibility of obtaining 
the prize in any other manner than by keeping in this narrow way, 
which is open to all who will walk therein. Experience would teach 
them, if they w T ould be guided by it, that there is but one way to ob- 
tain the prize ; and to try to secure it in any other way would be 
striving in vain. There are some, also, outside of the first vale who 
seem to discern this great object, but of course very dimly, having to 
look through two vales, who are gathering into hosts, trying to ascend 
and obtain this greater prize, thinking they will succeed by inducing all 
to follow them ; but alas, they have not started in this narrow way. 

So in summing up the whole which we have mentioned, though 
amongst them there are many who profess to be leaders, they have be- 
come like a flock without a leader. Here I desire to call the attention 
of all who wish to be leaders, to the Word, which says, " Be ye also 
ready, for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh," 
(Matthew xxiv. 44). " which in his times He shall shew, who is the 
blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords" 
(1 Timothy vi. 15). 

It appears from history, that there have been some who discerned 
this greater object, and pressed on in this narrow way until they as- 
cended above the second vale, and were then led off until they fell be- 
neath the vale again. Oh, what a heart-rending thing it is, that some 
who had run well and ascended so far, and were ready by waiting to 
obtain the prize, should have been led away by wild flowers and fruits 
until they fell beneath that which they may never again be able to 
surmount. 



8 



Through a sense of duty, I hereby advise all who attempt to ascend 
this mighty mountain to the garden of Eden, not to turn out of this 
narrow way to gather flowers and fruits, especially so far as to gather 
wild flowers and fruits, for the power of gravitation in ascending is 
very great, and there is much more danger of falling when one is as- 
cending a precipice than there is in walking on level land, especially 
with those out of the way. We find that it is not difficult to ascend a 
building or a precipice where there is a way paved out with steps made 
sure, if we will step in the riget way ; but if we attempt to ascend a 
precipice or scale a wall where there is no way prepared, it is a danger- 
ous business — even so by ascending to the Garden of Eden, where the 
"wolf shall dwell with the lamb." 

The question arises now, how are we to ascend up through this se- 
cond straight gate ? Are we to start in the same way to ascend up 
through the second vale as we started to reach the first, by obedience 
to the commandment of repentance ? Oh, no ! but by obedience to the 
command to grow in grace, which will lead us unto the second gate as 
repentance led us unto the first ; and we ascend that mighty steep up 
through that straight gate in the same manner as we ascended the first, 
looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith, which is the 
only way of entrance ; and we will have to ascend this mighty moun- 
tain before us to attain unto the Garden of Eden in the same manner, 
by a full trust in God, through faith in the righteousness of his Son, 
having Christ "formed within us the hope of glory," which hope we 
have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which en- 
tereth into that within the vale." Heb. vi. 12. 



EXPLANATION. 



To elucidate the foregoing, 1 will here make a few brief comments. 
The wide-extended plain is the world at large ; the vast mountain in 
its midst is the great ascent man has to take to attain to a full growth 
in grace and to become a subject prepared to receive God's richer bless- 
ing — the Millennium. The belts or table-lands around the mountain are, 
first, the gospel era, or the Gentile church in the gospel era, or gospel 
covenant, which was extended to the Gentile world on conditions the 
same as light and darkness, or good and evil, being set before them 



9 



and they invited to choose good or light, rather than darkness or evil ; 
which covenant is now about to pass away that the new covenant that 
God said he would make with the House of Israel, when he will be 
their God" (Jer. xxxi, 33), may be established ; which we have desig- 
nated as the second table or the Garden of Eden ; that is, the first vale 
is about to drop and the second plain to be turned out with the first, 
that the way may be opened that a nation may be born at once unto God. 
This first vale, enclosing the first table, or gospel era, is sacrificial 
offerings, which the believing Gentiles passed through by faith in the 
great sacrifice in Christ into this gospel covenant, which we compared 
to an object like a precious gem, which we have also styled the first 
table, where God extended his mercies to the Gentile world on the same 
conditions that he established and performed the first covenant with 
the House of Israel. The second vale is that of the ordinance of bap- 
tism ; which seems to be as great a vale before the Gentile church as 
sacrificial offerings were before the Israelite church ; and I think it 
might be well said that these two vales are those represented in the 
building of the earthly tabernacle ; which vales, according to Scrip- 
ture, at the crucifixion of Christ, were rent in twain from the top to 
the bottom, that the way into the holiest of all might be made mani- 
fest : that is, that the true sacrifice and true baptism might be made 
manifest to man, which was opened up in the house of David for sin 
and uncleanness, by a knowledge of which man grows in grace and ob- 
tains a perfect faith, and becomes a fit subject to enter into God's 
kingdom here on earth, denominated as the Garden of Eden, and 
which we compared to an object like a more precious gem. Above the 
Garden of Eden this wide and extended top of the mountain, which 
we called the Garden of Beatitude, which we compared to an object 
like a most precious gem, is heaven, where Christ, the Tree of Life, 
stands near the midst — that is, near the Father, as an Advocate for 
fallen man — the fruit of which, or that spirit of love, flows down for 
the healing of the nations : that is, for all who will come and view him 
in faith, through that straight or living way. 

Now, turning our attention to the foot of the mountain, to speak 
more fully concerning this narrow way, which is opened up through 
the vales, pointing to the Tree of Life, the Word says, 4 * Except a 
man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the king- 
dom of God" (John iii, 5). How was this way opened, that sinful 
man might attain to that new life? We find " sin is the transgression 
of the law" (1 John iii, 4), and " the wages of sin is dea.th" (Rom. 
vi, 23) . But we are interested to know how to secure life from under 
that condemned state, and we find that there were demands made upon 
a sinner on account of sin, typified in the Levitical law, which were to 
atone for transgression, that reconciliation might be made, whereby 
guilty sinners, under sentence of eternal death, might escape from that 
condemned state, which they had brought upon themselves by trans- 
gression, and become heirs again according to the promise of eternal 
life ; or, in other words, that they might again attain to a state of life 
2 



10 



from under the sentence of death. This requirement, which was de- 
manded on account of sin, that atonement might be made, was typified 
in the Levitical law, which required a priest to be prepared, according 
to a certain method, and brought unto the door of the tabernacle and 
washed with water, and to put on a robe made of gold, of blue and 
purple and scarlet and fine linen and cunning work, &c, to minister 
for the people in the sanctuary and tabernacle, which is called the 45 Ho- 
liest of all ; which had the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant 
overlaid round about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had 
manna, and Aaron's rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant ; 
and over it the cherubims of glory shadowing the mercy seat," where 
this priest was to enter, with the blood of chosen beasts, to offer atone- 
ment for sin. 

But we find that all this did not give life or make perfect those who 
went thereunto, or open a living way whereby fallen man could attain 
to a state of life again after he had forfeited that eternal life by trans- 
gression ; but was only typical of that living way which was to be 
opened up in the house of David for sin and uncleanness. ''For 
if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righte- 
ousness should have been by the law" (Gal. iii, 21), and there would 
have been no need for God to have " sent forth his Son, made of a wo- 
man, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law" 
(Gal. iv. 4, 5). But there being a spiritual law broken, it required a 
spiritual satisfaction to redeem from under a spiritual condemnation, 
which natural ordinances were not able to do, but were only set forth as 
figures to lead our minds to spiritual substances, which are able to re- 
deem. Therefore, there was no man found able to open the way and 
unloose the seals, but when the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, the Root 
of David, came to prevail to open the book, He said, " Sacrifice and 
offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, 
neither hadst pleasure therein ; which are offered by the law ; then said 
he, Lo, I come to do thy will, 0 God. He taketh away the first, that 
he may establish the second" (Heb. x, 8, 9), which opened that living 
way. 

The inquiry now arises, how did Christ, who is called the Root of 
David, take away the first ? It was by fulfilling the first that He es- 
tablished the second ; that is, by bringing forth the great antitypes of 
those types which were held forth by the law. For Christ said when 
he came, that " one jot or one tittle shall in nowise pass from the law 
till all be fulfilled" (Matt, v, 18). 

This will lead us to notice how Christ fulfilled the law. Those for 
whom sacrifices were offered, according to the law, when the great sa- 
crifice came, stood in the fulness of that great antitype. There was a 
sacrifice offered for Christ at eight days old, according to the law, but 
we find that it did not fulfill the sacrifice required on account of sin ; 
for it was a natural work, and it did not meet the demands of a spirit- 
ual law, but prepared the way whereby the law could be satisfied. In 
like manner, when Christ came to John and was baptized of him in 



I 



1) 



Jordan, that was not sufficient to qualify Him to stand for the people 
in a spiritual priesthood, but was only to prepare the way. But when 
Christ was offered up on the cross and crucified, the Roman spear 
brought forth the great antitypes — spiritual blood and spiritual water — 
which were required for the healing of the nations, on which the plan 
of redemption was founded, that Christ might stand in his own fulness 
for sinful man that sinners might " offer up spiritual sacrifices, accept- 
able to God by Jesus Christ" (1 Peter ii, 5), that spiritual baptism, 
one of the sacrifices just mentioned, which we offer up through faith 
to meet the demands of the law. Therefore, when Christ ascended up 
into that true tabernacle with those sacrifices, the way was opened for 
that great antitype of the brazen serpent to be made manifest, that sin- 
ners might look and live. 

Turning now to this pattern which points out the living way, the 
same that was given to Moses on the mount, and the Israelites set up 
those way marks, meaning the Scriptures, which record gives a full his- 
tory as to how they were broken off and the Gentiles grafted in, with 
this charge, to fear lest they should be broken off in like manner and 
the natural branches grafted in again ; and this inquiry should spring 
up in the mind of every one, when should their fear arise — from the 
example set before them at their fulness ? The next inquiry is, has or 
has not their fulness come ? I will leave this question to be decided 
from the evidence that I have adduced in a previous work. 

We next notice the broad roads leading off from this narrow way, 
which may be reckoned as the great earthly objects of life which many 
are in pursuit of. Some men are running after one object and some 
after others — such as wealth, honor, pride, mirth, &c. Some are led 
away by vain desires into the commission of vicious acts, culminating 
in crime and wickedness, until they are finally brought to those bogs 
and sink in ruin. There are others whose desires crave for earthly 
objects, believing that if they abstain from this wild career, and only 
partake of those blessings lawful for them to use, it will be all well 
with them. Others pretend to believe that if they take either course 
mentioned that all will come right in the end ; that is, let them pursue 
any course in life they may think proper, there are troubles enOugh in 
this life to atone for their crimes, and that the blessings of that life to 
come are given to all mankind without conditions ; which, according to 
this belief, would exclude law and order, and induce us to say that the 
covenant law, which is the ten commandments, was not annexed to 
that covenant promise ; which covenant promise is another life, through 
the resurrection of Christ, and is promised to all of Adam's race ; for 
the Word says, "As in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be 
made alive ; but every man in his own order." To exclude this cove- 
nant law, of course would ignore order ; but the law was to make sub- 
jects of life or subjects unto death in that life which is to come ; that 
is, the law was intended to draw a distinction between those who serve 
God and those who do not. The Word says, « The soul that sinneth 
it shall die." That could not have meant a natural death, for the hu- 



12. 



man family were then already under that sentence. The Word, in 
speaking of this covenant law, says, if you are guilty in one point, 
you are guilty of the whole law, and if you do not love the Lord thy 
God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might, 
you are guilty of the whole law and under the sentence of eternal 
death. 

The next point under consideration is, how to enter this narrow way 
and travel therein ; or, in other words, how is man to be relieved from 
condemnation after he has been brought under sentence of eternal 
death by transgressing God's holy law, and again become an heir ac- 
cording to that great heavenly promise, and to press on in that narrow 
way — that is, in the service of God ? 

Now, to explain this, I will, in a brief manner, state my own expe- 
rience, beginning at my youth. I was raised by what I consider Chris- 
tian parents, who brought me up in a strictly moral way ; but when I 
became old enough to think for myself, though a small boy, I began to 
reflect on the extent of eternity as well as of space, and it seemed a 
great matter before me, thinking there could not be any end to either, 
until, at length, I had a desire to be prepared for that vast eternity — 
so much so that I made an effort to pray, which seemed a very feeble 
matter, for my prayers did not seem to amount to much, either in word 
or weight. Going on in life in this way, I began to think I could pray 
with more strength, until, at length, the great object of the world be- 
gan to attract my attention to such a degree that it was only at times 
that serious impressions would lead me to attempt to pray. I was led 
on in this way until some years after I was grown, when I felt that a 
great choice lay before me, and I had to decide on choosing one course 
or the other — to serve God or to live in sin — until I began to see the 
great danger I was in ; that I might be snatched from time unprepared 
for eternity ; which determined me to try to serve the Lord the re- 
mainder of my days. But the more I sought Him, the more I felt the 
weight and burden of sin ; and, looking back, and thinking how many 
invitations and calls had been extended to me, it seemed that the door 
of mercy was justly closed against me, and I could see no way to ob- 
tain the favor of God. Dead to all self-doing power and the love of 
sin, without hope, sinking in despair and fear, I looked as unto heaven 
to cry out, Lord have mercy on me ; and I viewed Jesus, with His 
merits extending from heaven to earth : and, in a moment, it appeared 
that I was at His feet, where He had made intercessions for me to 
the Father, who stood there, having form, but in appearance as bright 
as a pure fountain of light ; and it appeared that no matter which way 
I turned I was amongst the heavenly host, where all was joy and love. 
After this impression left me, and I began to consider, I felt relieved 
of the burden and guilt under which I first labored ; and instead of 
feeling guilty, I experienced what I had not done before — love and 
joy — love to God and love towards all Christians, and a desire to have 
all sinners come and view that living way, which looked so plain that 
I was surprised that all did not come and view it. 



13 



This was on Saturday night, towards the last of July, 1834. and on 
Sunday night following, there was a meeting at the house where I was 
staying ; and in that meeting I became so filled with the love of God. 
and could so clearly see the way, that I have never since doubted I 
w r as born of God. I have heard people talk about doubting, but all 
my doubts since that time have arisen from a fear that I had not dis- 
charged the duties which were enjoined upon me as I should have 
done, having been led off from this narrow way by gathering, until I 
found myself among the thistles and thorns ; but I think I have expe- 
rienced their stings enough, never to get amongst them again — trusting 
in God my only preserver. 

Returning to my course in life, omitting those points I have just 
mentioned, where I wandered from that straight way, and also omitting 
some other particular points as to the manner in which I was induced 
to act from the operation of the Spirit, which would occupy too much 
space here to explain, and which also might produce skepticism in the 
minds of some, it is enough for me to say that I have been brought to 
view things in the future that were contrary to my design and inten- 
tion in life, which I know have come to pass, unto which I became not 
only resigned that the will of the Lord be done, and not mine, but I 
endeavored to seek the will of the Lord with my whole heart, to know 
what He would have me to do, that I might perform according to His 
will in all things, and not according to my fleshly desires. 

Now, to return to my course in life. A short time after I professed 
religion, I joined the United Baptists, and was immersed and received 
into full membership in a church which numbered about one hundred 
members. After I joined, I felt it a duty to press on in the service of 
God. Viewing the great fulness in Christ, and the world so uncon- 
cerned about it, I felt it a duty to try to invite them to that living 
way ; but I was so stammering in speech that I began to fear I w r as not 
called in that way ; which caused me to seek to know what was the 
will of the Lord, that I might act accordingly. From many impres- 
sions received, it was my belief that I had to stand as an instrument 
in His cause, though I felt that I was still deficient in many respects. 
I found the cross so great, that, without being aided by His power, I 
was not able to discharge promptly that which I felt His Spirit bid me 
to do. So looking unto God for strength, I commenced, in my stam- 
mering way, to discharge the duty impressed on my mind ; but in do- 
ing so, I found there was a way opened before me conflicting with the 
way in which 1 had been raised and taught by the examples of my pa- 
rents and older brothers and sisters to be the right way ; which way I 
had then accepted to travel in. This brought on a great cross, for me 
to decide which way I would accept — the way in which I had been 
raised up and had accepted, or the way the Spirit bid me to go, which 
was open before me. This not only caused me to pray, but also t© 
search the Scriptures, to try the spirit that I was led by, to see if I 
was deceived ; and I did not stop at reading the Scriptures through 
once, but again ; and the more I read, the more I believed in the way 



14 



the Spirit bid me to go, until the great trial came for me to leave the 
church which I then had been living in for, I think, about three or 
four years — where I was bound by great brotherly love for the mem- 
bers, as well as the nearest ties of relationship — or to live for Christ. 
I very promptly decided for Christ, and withdrew from the churchy 
that is, from their sectarian creed — not from the love which I had for 
them. This brought on another cross — not only the frowns of all re- 
ligious sects, but also that of social society in the world. 

But I now count them all as dross to the trouble I have experienced 
in not having been as faithful to God as I should. But being yet 
spared, I have a hope for the future. 

Returning now more closely to the subject of explanation. Those 
fragrant flowers, fruits and other blessings, are the great blessings of 
life which God has created here for the support and enjoyment of man. 
Those wild flowers and wild fruits are gaiety and mirth. The thistles, 
thorns and plagues are crimes called sin — " a sin which is not unto 
death" — but those bogs represent " sin unto death." All unrighte- 
ousness is sin, but sins unto death are those set forth in the ten com- 
mandments, called the covenant law, rendering all Adam's race ame- 
nable to the penalty, which is eternal death. 

Now, it is very clear that man can persevere in the service of God, 
and partake of these blessings of life sufficient for his need and com- 
fort, but he can also let these objects and the pride of his heart lead 
his mind so far that he is not satisfied with merely enough of those 
blessings to supply his need, but strives to gather enough to gratify his 
craving desires — engrosses his mind in objects which lead him to seek 
the love of the world rather than the love of God. 

Professed Christians are too often led off in this way and permit the 
love of God to grow cold in their hearts, indulging in mirth and un- 
seemly acts — committing that sin which is not unto death — until they 
are afflicted with many sorrows. And when these sorrows pierce the 
heart of a Christian, it causes him to look with horror and amazement 
at that which produced it, and to see how far he had wandered from 
the right way. But when once aroused to a sense of his duty to get 
back in the right way, he is apt to persevere until he possesses that 
love of God which he once enjoyed while in the pathway of duty, and 
walking by faith and not by sight. This proves to be a wholesome 
lesson to some, whilst others soon go to gathering again ; but experi- 
ence having taught them the fruits of error, not many are apt to get 
amongst the thistles and thorns, but gather near the pathway of duty, 
when they begin to thirst, figuratively speaking, like the children of 
Israel did in the wilderness, that is, for that love which quenches the 
thirsting soul of a Christian, and obtain it. These lukewarm Chris- 
tians seem satisfied, though their faith may not be as strong as it was 
before they first strayed from that living way. The desires of others 
for worldly objects have not been so great as to cause them to get 
amongst thistles and thorns, but they manifest a greater desire to ga- 
ther worldly objects than to press on in the service of God, and appear 



15 



satisfied in that way of living if they could barely get enough of that 
love to keep alive that hope which dwells in the hearty of all Chris- 
tians, without endeavoring to grow in grace or in the knowledge of our 
Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. 

Coming down to the present day, there are some who, when looking 
towards that time, conclude it is so far beyond their comprehension 
that the revelation of that happy era is as far in the future as it is 
from their comprehension, and contenting themselves with that belief, 
they neglect to search after the truth as it is in Christ Jesus. Others 
seem to be waiting for this glorious prize like the children of Israel 
waited for the advent of Christ, to come according to their expectation 
and desire, to encircle and establish them in their sectarian pride and 
unbelief. Others deny that there is any other prize before them in 
this life than they have already obtained. This is a contracted belief, 
and shows an ignorance of the .requirements made of them in this life ; 
for this belief is as much as to say that they have become perfect in 
grace and have attained to the measure and stature of the fullness of 
Christ, through faith, and there was nothing more for them to learn in 
the great spiritual mystery of godliness. I will say of such as Christ 
said to the Jews, Search the Scriptures ; for in them ye think ye have 
eternal life, and they are they which testify of God's kingdom here on 
earth, when the kingdom and dominion and the greatness of the king- 
dom under the whole heavens shall be given to the people of the saints 
of the Most High God, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom. 

But when you search, search for that spiritual meaning that you 
may view, with an eye of faith, that ;< it is the Spirit that quickeneth ; 
the flesh profiteth nothing ; the words that I speak unto you, they are 
spirit, and they are life" (John vi, 63) ; and we should learn that it is 
not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to 
God's mercy, He saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and re- 
newing of the Holy Ghost ; which He shed on us abundantly through 
Christ Jesus our Saviour ; that being justified by His grace, we should 
be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life" (Titus iii, 5, 6, 7), 
and it is only by a growth in grace that we can view this perfect way ; 
and it is through faith that we will become heirs of God's earthly king- 
dom and obtain that holy rest in Christ Jesus. 

As there are some who have been praying the Father that- His king- 
dom might come and His will be done in earth as it is in heaven, I 
wish to ask all such, what is the sincere desire of your hearts in that 
petition ? Is it that the time should speedily come when God should 
perform according to your will and desire, or that He should govern 
all things on earth according to His will ? If it is that God's will 
should be done, you should seek to know what His will is in the mat- 
ter, with your whole heart, not in part, for a lame sacrifice is not ac- 
ceptable with God. 

For further consideration, is it reasonable that God's will can be 
done here on earth while sin, iniquity and unbelief abound as it does 
now in the world ? 



16 



Well, if God were to send forth the plagues which He has declared 
by the mouth of His prophets He will send forth for the cleansing of 
the earth, that His kingdom may be established, are ye prepared for 
any of them, especially for that solemn test where (rod, by the mouth 
of His prophet, has said, 44 Behold, the day cometh that shall burn as 
an oven ; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be 
stubble : and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord 
of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch" (Mai. iv, 1). 
If you are prepared for such a test as this, it will do ; if not, the time 
is at hand when each and every one should speedily prepare to be able 
to stand that solemn test. 

We will now notice those who have left this narrow way, so as to 
place the second vale between them and the object set before them 
(which I consider to be the ordinance of baptism), who are marching 
on, in their own estimation, in pursuit of the prize set before them, 
which is that rest or happy era that is promised to the people of God, 
when they shall come to one fold. 

My experience is that a sinner has to become dead to all self-doing 
power, so as to see that there is nothing that he can do will bring upon 
him the favor of God ; it is only by looking with an eye of faith to the 
fullness of their need in Christ, and live. This self-act of submitting 
themselves to the ordinance of baptism is placing that ordinance as a 
vale over their understanding, which prevents them from viewing that 
holy rest, through faith in the righteousness of Christ, from that work. 
Is it not singular that after sinners have become dead to all self-doing 
power and made alive through faith, that they should be so soon led off 
by folly from that living way in which they were once made alive by 
grace through faith ? But we find this was the case with some of the 
early Christians. 

At this time, there are so many different ways pursued by Chris- 
tians, that many are led off into error. There is but one living way, 
and any other way is wrong. The Apostle Paul, in addressing the 
churches of Galatia, says, " I marvel that ye are so soon removed from 
him that called you into the grace of Christ;" and it ought yet to 
be a marvel to any candid thinking mind that has been dead to works, 
and by grace made alive again through faith. 44 For by grace are ye 
saved through faith ; and that not of yourselves : it is the gift of God : 
not of works, lest any man should boast'' (Eph. ii, 8, 9). 44 And ye 
are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power" 
(Col. xi, 10). 

And if we are complete in Christ, let us rest from all our works, in 
the service of God, through faith in his righteousness, and give Christ 
the glory that is due to him for his merits, and not be trying to revo- 
lutionize the world and get them in one fold by an ordinance which has 
misled thousands, but let us undeavor to have the substance, that spi- 
ritual understanding of a new birth which Christ spoke to Nicodemus, 
4 4 Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter 
into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the fiesh is flesh ; 



17 



and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said 
unto thee, ye must be born again" (John iii, 5-7). 

This is the promise that was made to them that overcometh in the 
third church, which I consider to be the third era, or John's prepara- 
tory work, where it says, " To him that overcometh will I give to eat 
of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone 
a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth 
it" (Rev. xi, 17). 

Could language express a new birth plainer than these words, which 
surely referred to that new birth that was manifested to man on the 
day of Pentecost — clearing up the " mystery which hath been hid for 
ages, and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints j to 
whom God wo'uld make known what is the riches of the glory of this 
mystery among the Gentiles ; which is Christ in you, the hope of 
glory" (Col. i, 26, 27), which is that hope which is "sealed by that 
Holy Spirit of promise" (Eph. i, 13), which " Spirit beareth witness 
with our spirit, that we are the children of God : and if children, then 
heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ" (Rom. viii, 16, 17). 
What more could we ask ? When we put on Christ's righteousness, 
through faith, and are sealed by his Spirit, then we are born of water 
and of the Spirit unto that heavenly promise of eternal inheritance in 
the kingdom of God. 

Some say this is the right way, and others say " Lo here, and lo 
there but nearly all are veiled with the ordinance of baptism, which 
seems to be as great a veil over the eyes of the Gentile church as 
sacrificial offerings were over the eyes of the Israelites ; and they do 
not seem to discern the spiritual fulfillment of that ordinance in Christ, 
which is that living way, and there is no other way under heaven 
"whereby sinners can be saved ; which way was opened through the 
merits of Christ ; and the seal is the Spirit, which is sure to all that 
will travel therein, from faith unto faith, not by works ; and it is that 
Spirit of love, the seal, that is placed in the heart of a Christian, and 
produces that charity which the Apostle James called work, and it is 
by the fruits of that love that Christians are known. 

Those outside of the first vale, who are gathering into hosts, are the 
different worldly sects, and evince a desire to fulfill the prophecies, by 
getting all to join their fold. If either party had a world full like 
themselves associated with them in their band, and all their science 
brought to a full bearing, it would not enable their watchmen to come 
to see eye to eye in the great spiritual mystery of godliness. 

Those whom I have mentioned as having discerned this great object 
pressed on in this narrow way until they ascended above the second 
vale, and were then led off from tfhis straight way by gathering, till 
they fell beneath the vale again. 

Here I allude particularly to Joseph Smith and his early followers, 
who, from newspapers, I thought, until recently, were impostors and a 
deluded people. But since reading the history of Joseph Smith and 
his early followers, published by 0. Prall, in the Southern Literary 

0 ! 



13 



Messenger, I am convinced that Joseph Smith was an inspired man, 
and that he pressed on in the service of (rod until he had ascended, by 
a growth in grace, above the ordinance of baptism, through faith, and 
then was enticed away by the allurements of the world until he fell, 
by disobedience, beneath that vale above which he had once risen, and 
that his fate was caused by the mighty hand of God ; which should be 
a warning to all his followers, sufficient to cause them to seek the right 
way with their whole heart, not in part, for every Christian's experi- 
ence will teach him, if called to mind, that God is only approached by 
the whole heart, and not by a lame sacrifice. 

If you are seeking that happy era when God's kingdom shall come 
and his will be done in earth as it is in heaven, you will have to return 
unto that narrow way, and press on from faith unto faith, until you 
come to the measure and stature of the fulness of Christ, through 
faith, and receive that holy rest which remains for the people of God, 
which will prepare you for God's kingdom here on earth, so that you 
can read the 32d verse of the 12th chapter of Luke with pleasure. 
But first read the 7th verse of the 19th chapter of 2d Chronicles, and 
from the 7th to the 11th verse of the 18th chapter of Jeremiah, and 
understand what anguish and misery and death await the Christian 
when out of the pathway of duty ; while peace, love and joy in the 
Holy Ghost attend the Christian who walks in that living way. 

I speak this advice with a heart-sense of duty ; for when I read the 
history of Joseph Smith, it brought to my mind that I had been res- 
cued, through the mercy of God, from that death which awaited me on 
account of my neglect of duty. 

To more fully explain my sympathy in this matter for those who 
have experienced grace. They know what great sympathy and love 
thev have for those who have passed through the first vale — Just so in 
like manner by those who have passed through the second, which causes 
double ties of love and relationship. 

In explanation of the charge given to those endeavoring to ascend 
to the Garden of Eden, that is, to that happy era, the enjoyment 
of which will be obtained by a growth in grace, for them not to 
turn out of the way ; that is, for them not to turn from that living 
faith to put their trust in anything but God alone, through faith in 
the righteousness of his Son. The power of gravitation is very great, 
that is, the power of human nature, in ascending from faith unto 
faith ; for without faith in ascending it is impossible to please God. 
" For he that cometh unto God must believe that he is, and that he is 
a rewarder of them that diligently seek him" (Heb. xi, 6). 

How can a man have faith in that which he does not believe I Man 
has first to believe, and then faith springs up from an increased belief, 
but there is great clanger of skepticism and self-righteousness entering 
into his heart to retard his progress in belief as well as faith. Now, 
there is not as much danger of skepticism overturning a belief as there 
is in its being prevented from forming. Even so by faith, there is not 
as much danger of our faith being shaken after it is established in our 



hearts, as there is of its being destroyed before it is established. For 
instance, a plant is much easier destroyed shortly after it germinates 
than after it gets full growth. Even so by faith, we are charged to 
<< grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus 
Christ ' (2 Peter hi, 13). What is this but to rise from faith unto 
faith in the great fulness of Christ ? Now, there is as much danger 
of unbelief arising in the heart of man to prevent him from believing 
that Christ came by water as there is that he came by blood ; and tHere 
is as much danger of falling through unbelief in rising to a living 
faith in one, as there is in ascending to a living faith in the other, if it 
were not for thai, living faith in one which enables the Christian to 
overcome unbelief in the other. But there is as much unbelief to 
overcome in establishing faith in one as there is in establishing faith in 
the other ; for we have the same witness of one as we have of the other. 
For "there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the 
water, and the blood ; and these three agree in one 5 ' (1 John v, 8). 

We find that it is not our Father's good pleasure that his children 
should live on bread alone or remain as children in faith to be fed on 
milk alone, but that they should grow in knowledge in that great work 
which was fulfilled in Christ for them, from faith unto faith, until they 
attain to the measure and Stature of the fulness of Christ, through 
faith in the great plan of redemption, and ascend to that rest which 
remains for the people of God ; and Christians should not believe, be- 
cause they have an evidence that they have started in this living way, 
that all is accomplished ; and they should not think themselves to be 
men when they are children, or that they have the power of keeping 
themselves in the way w T hen untried. " Wherefore let him that think- 
eth he standeth, take heed lest he fall" (I Cor. x, 12). For it seems 
that many are ready to say, Lord I have done this and that in thy 
name, when their works may prove to be darkness, for I find if I am 
saved, it is by the mercy of God through faith in the righteousness of 
Christ alone ; and if I am kept, it is by the power of God, through 
faith, unto salvation. 

It is strange to think how slothful the human family have ever been 
in the progress of spiritual knowledge, and also in the knowledge of 
their own t weakness, when Christ witnessed before them and said, * I 
can of mine own self do nothing" (John v, 30) ; and what can man 
do in the service of God without being aided by his Spirit, and the 
Spirit is the seal of faith; and how can w^e have faith without first 
having believed ? — believed the whole record which God has given of his 
Son, that spiritual fulness, the antitype of all the figures set forth in 
the plan of redemption ; but man has ever been slow to believe, so as 
to progress in grace, from the type to faith in the great Antitype; and 
slothful to learn that he can do nothing to bring himself into the favor 
of God, except by belief and repentance, which works out and kills all 
self-doing power in man, so that he can look with an eye of faith, 
through God's mercy, and live. " Look unto me and be ye saved, all 
the ends of the earth ; for I am God, and there is none else" (Isaiah 



20 



xlv, 22). " To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world 
unto himself" (2 Cor. v, 19) ; and we have to look unto him through 
the righteousness of his Son, and God will establish us from faith unto 
faith in the great fulness of Christ — that is, in Christ's righteousness, 
not in our own. 

But we find that man is too apt to walk in his own strength and de- 
pend on his own righteousness ; for many of them are like the adage, 
a city is easy kept when it is not besieged ; or, like a brave man un- 
tried, especially with those who have never taken a growth in grace. 
For instance, the Apostles, especially Peter, seemed to be brave fol- 
lowers of Christ ; but when the time came for them to take a growth 
in knowledge, to be witnesses to a fulfillment of the great plan of re- 
demption, by the sufferings of Christ, though Christ had charged them 
of their weakness, Peter said unto him, " Though I should die with 
thee, yet will I not deny thee ;" likewise also said all the disciples, but 
within a few hours they all forsook Christ, and Peter denied Him with 
an oath. Oh, the fallibility of man S it seems like an unfathomable 
ocean, when tried without faith. Remember the Israelites, who were 
set up as an example to the world. Whilst they were in the land of 
Egypt, though in bondage, it appears that they kept the faith for up- 
wards of four hundred years, waiting for the prize ; and when the time 
came for them to attain to a growth in grace and trial of their faith, 
by a march for the promise land, it seemed that they were anxious for 
the march and bold in their undertaking ; but after they had started, 
there was a matter before them that they never seemed to discern be- 
fore, the trial of their faith, to produce a growth in grace, to prepare 
them and to see who of them were worthy to enter into and possess 
this great promise. But we find, after they were tried by a forty 
years' journey through a wilderness, that there .were but two, out of 
many thousand, who were found worthy to enter into the promise. 
And we find that Moses, their leader, though he was meek above all 
men, and had proved faithful in many trials of his faith, for one act 
of disobedience, through unbelief, was not allowed to enter into the 
promise. " Let us labor therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man 
fall after the same example of unbelief" (Heb. iv, 11) ; for we have 
a Canaan to obtain, which is not that earthly Palestine. Though we 
have a journey to perform, we travel by faith and not by sight. We 
have to travel through a wilderness to try our faith, but not that " wil- 
derness of sin'' (Exodus xvi, 1). We have a manna to feast upon, 
not that manna which the children of Israel found, but that "hid- 
den manna" (Rev. ii, 17). We have a circumcision to be circumcised 
with, but we find 44 he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly ; neither 
is that circumcision which is outward in the flesh : but he is a Jew, 
which is one inwardly ; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the 
spirit, and not in the letter; whose pra se is not of men, but of God" 
(Bom. ii, 28, 29). We have to offer a sacrifice for our sins, but not 
such as the children of Israel offered, by an earthly priest, in an 
earthly tabernacle, upon its altar, but by a Heavenly Priest, in that 



21 



true Tabernacle, upon that Heavenly altar, through faith in the great 
Antitype, that blood which flowed from Christ's side for the sins of all 
that would repent and believe. We have a baptism to be baptized 
with, t not that which is performed by men's hands, but that of the 
Spirit, through faith in the great Antitype, that spiritual water which 
flowed from Christ's side for the cleansing of the faithful ; that is, for 
all that will trust in His righteousness, through faith. " For by one 
Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gen- 
tiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink 
into one Spirit. For the body is not one member, but many" (1 Cor. 
xii, 13, 14). And there is no natural work belonging to that new 
covenant which was opened up in the house of David for sin and un- 
cleanness — that which was accomplished in Christ, whereby sinners 
might turn and live, and sinners enter into that covenant with God by 
repentance, and through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. 

We come now to the last and most important question : How are we 
to ascend or grow in grace and spiritual knowledge unto a perfect 
faith, or be prepared to enter into that happy era or fold of God ? 
This is a great and important matter, which should concern all men, 
especially the people of America, who, above all other nations, have 
been blessed with so many favors of God. But, alas ! what is their 
standing now ?— shrouded in both religious and political gloom. Where 
is that lofty steeple, that spirit which once adorned the church of God 
in our midst ? Where are those political ties of love and union which 
once encircled and bound the American people together as a mighty 
host ? "When we revolve these inquiries in our mind, is it not enough 
to cause each and every true American, especially those that bear the 
name of Christ, to inquire, with solemnity, how can I bring mj-self 
into the favor of a threatening God, and to the measure and stature of 
the fulness of Christ, through faith, that I may be ready and prepared 
to stand a solemn test ? 

We find that there are many ways pursued amongst professed 
Christians in worshipping God, which seem to bring forth gloom, 
rather than light. Some seem to think that a growth in grace 
consists in attempting to follow Christ ; but in this many make great 
blunders in attempting to perform that which Christ came to fulfill, 
and leaving undone that which he left for them to do. For instance, 
though baptism was required of a sinner on account of sin, the same 
that a sacrifice was required, which, according to Christ's own words, 
it behooved him to fulfill, many seem desirous of arrogating to them- 
selves the honor of fulfilling that requirement ; which the act itself, 
in its true meaning, denies the fulness of Christ in that work. 

If the different sects wish to growJn grace, they should purge out 
that old Pharisaic leaven, self-righteousness, which, it appears, has 
leavened each sect in our land in nearly every department of their 
worship. Oh, that men were as willing to worship God in spirit and 
in truth as they are to pretend to worship him by formality, which, it 
seems, has overrun Christianity in our land. How could the Phari- 



22 



sees have been any more blinded in their manner and way of worship 
than are the largest portion of the professed worshippers of God in 
our midst at this time, called by some the enlightened age. Where is 
the church or fold of God at present t Is it scattered amongst all the 
different sects, which are numerous, as each sect claims ? If this be 
so, that there are Christians among each sect, it shows that there are 
many errors to be removed from the church to bring them to one fold. 

What is the cause of all this ? It is that old Pharisaical leaven, 
self-righteousness, which has to be purged out to prepare them for 
God's kingdom, that truth, love and union may abound, and that light 
may shine forth as it is in Christ Jesus. 

There seems to be another great error in the way of establishing the 
truth in the minds of the great majority in Christendom, which goes 
a long ways beyond anything in history claimed by the Pharisees. It 
is that of ordination, that power which has been handed down from the 
Apostle Peter, from generation to generation, to the present day. 

Where is the evidence to establish any such a belief, that there has 
been any power of God bestowed, through the instrumentality of men's 
hands, since the days of the Apostles, or that man, or any set of men, 
can add to the calling or the work of God by the laying on of their 
hands, &e. If there is any evidence of any weight to prove this be- 
lief, surely it ought to come before the world, and let us have Thus 
saith the Lord' for it, and not the traditions of men, that the evidence 
may be used in putting down the powers of darkness. If there is no 
evidence to support such a belief, it should be regarded as a cloud of 
darkness itself, and should be removed from out of the way. I have 
read the Bible through different times, and I have not found " Thus 
saith the Lord' for it in the Bible. It may be found in some of 
the Articles of Faith practiced by different sects, where may also be 
the supporting evidence for some other customs followed in late cen- 
turies, in some parts of Christendom, in the mode of worship, such as 
christening infants, &c. 

Now, the question arises, how is the preaching department sent to 
preach the gospel under the dispensation of the Spirit or gospel era ? 
Are they sent by the operation of the Spirit, or are they sent by the 
commandment given to the Apostles, and that commandment being 
handed down by the power of ordination to the present day ? Now, 
this is very clear to the mind, that if they are sent by the operation of 
the Spirit, they need not the addition of men s hands to qualify them 
for God's service. If they are sent by ordination of men, they are 
apt to teach according to men's notions ; for this proves to be so from 
the evidence we find that each preacher that is ordained by the clergy 
of a sect preaches according to tj^eir faith and order ; if not, they will 
take his credentials from him. For more evidence, let one read the 
3d verse of the 4th chapter of 2d Timothy. 

Now, this is a very grave matter, which should be well-considered ; 
for the power of consecration or ordination is of great importance in 
the setting forth of the gospel, or it is a barrier against the spread of 



2-3 



the gospel ? for it is either of (rod or of man, and should be perpetu- 
ated or put down. It is assuredly time for it to be examined, that it 
may receive its due reward one way or the other. If it be of God, it 
should be regarded as sacred and essential in the worship of God. If 
it be of man, it is a cloud and a barrier against the progress of the 
truth. For instance, we find it is against the rules of all, or nearly 
all sects, to let a man who has not been ordained by some sect or other 
preach in their churches. As much as to say, if God has a message 
for us, he must send it according to our way and manner of thinking, 
or we will not receive it ; or, that God does not send ambassadors in 
any other way except through ordination. 

Now, this rule stands as a lock to keep out truth or error, and there 
not being " Thus saith the Lord" for it, of course it should be counted 
as a strange offering, which is not acceptable with God. and should not 
be with man. 

When Christ sent forth his Apostles to witness to the world con- 
cerning his Messiahship, we find he first sent them to preach and to 
heal the sick and to open the eyes of the blind, &c, and in his name 
to witness to the world that he possessed that power which evidenced 
that he was the Messiah. In like manner Christ sent his Apostles, 
with the power to " remit or retain sins" (John xx, 23), and to bap- 
tize and bestow the gift of the Holy Ghost in his name. In that work 
they witnessed to the world that Christ possessed regenerating power, 
that he had accomplished that great work which he came to do, and 
that the plan of redemption was then finished, whereby sinners could 
attain unto eternal inheritance through the merits of Christ, The 
Apostles went forth in this work in Christ's name, and in his power 
witnessing to the world that he possessed regenerating power, by bap- 
tizing for the remission of sins and bestowing the Holy Ghost in his 
name — the same as they had witnessed to the world that he possessed 
the power of healing the sick and opening the eyes of the blind, kc. 
Else how could the world have known that Christ did possess regene- 
rating power, that they might believe on him? — and how could they 
have witnessed it unless they were endowed with the power ? The 
eleven Apostles bore witness to the fulfillment of Christ's errand and 
mission into the world, and the Apostle Paul followed and witnessed 
to the world that the eleven Apostles had fulfilled the commandment 
and mission that Christ committed unto them ; for he said, " Their 
sound went into all the earth, and their words unto the end of the 
world" (Rom, x, 18); and he also witnessed that the gospel "was 
preached to every creature under heaven 33 (Col. i, 23) ; and we find 
that Paul did not claim the same commandment which was given to the 
eleven ; for he says, " Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the 
gospel" (1 Cor. i, 17). Here we find if the commandment that Christ 
gave to the eleven to go and baptize in his name was intended only for 
them and their successors, it excludes Paul from being sent by Christ to 
preach. As the Apostle Paul said to the Galatians, so would I say to 
the present generation. 0, foolish Gentiles, who hath bewitched you 



24 



to believe that you can baptize for the remission of sins without the 
power ? 

All this has to be removed from the church or fold of God to bring 
her to a perfect state ; and does it not appear reasonable ? I call on 
each one to judge, that men should let such things die willingly, rather 
than wait to be forced to it by the mighty power of a sin-avenging God. 

Let us examine the mode and manner of worship amongst nearly all 
sects at this time in another error. They seem to want to convert the 
world or sinners by prayer. Should we not consider that the way God 
has devised for man to worship him, should be the way for those who 
attempt to worship him to pursue Man should remember how the 
Lord devoured Nadab and Abihu by fire for offering a strange offering 
unto him (Lev. x, 1, 2). 

God is the same God now as he was then, but God's manner of 
dealing with the Israelites was set forth as an example to the world ; 
and God is now long-suffering, through the intercession of his Son, to 
us-ward, often on account of transgression, that we may take warning 
from previous examples and repent and live. We find in the Word, 
" It pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that be- 
lieve" (I Cor. i, 21) ; "for therein is the righteousness of God re- 
vealed from faith to faith" (Rom. i, 17) ; and in the 6th verse, Paul 
wrote, saying, " I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ; for it is 
the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth." We 
find that prayer is beseeching the Creator and preaching the creature. 

Now, this is the matter. Should the ambassadors of Christ beseech 
the sinner to become reconciled to God, or should they pray God to 
become reconciled to the sinner ? All things are now ready on the 
part of the Almighty, and he will in nowise cast off any that will 
come unto him on the terms of the gospel, and will not pardon any in 
any other way than on the terms of the gospel. 

Is it not strange, under these circumstances, which men are bound 
to believe to be so form God's word, that they permit custom to lead 
them from the right way. We know that prayer is necessary in its 
place ; but we have to pray aright to be heard, and need not expect to 
be heard when asking amiss. If any one is lacking knowledge how to 
pray, let him examine the word of God in this matter, and he will find 
that prayer is not designed of God as a means for the conversion of 
sinners. 

When we examine the order of nearly all of the different sects in 
the present age on this subject, they seem to hold forth prayer as a 
means to convert sinners, or whereby intercession may be made for 
them, which we cannot find in the requirements of God's demand, 
nor in the acts of the Apostles ; and we find that there is no worship 
acceptable to God, except that which he requires of man. If it is not 
acceptable to God as a means of the conversion of sinners, it must be 
a stumbling-block to use it in that way ; for it is like pitching straws 
to a drowning man, which would attract his attention from laying hold 
on that which would deliver him. We know that the sympathy of man 



25 



would lead him to pitch straws to a drowning friend when he could do 
nothing more ; but how horrible would this act be if it attracted the 
attention of the drowning man from something that would have saved 
him ! Oh, fellow-man ! God's way is the only sure and safe way, and 
we should endeavor to draw the attention of sinners to that old ship of 
Zion which is always ready, which has landed many thousands, and can 
land as many more, on the bright shores of Canaan, instead of attract- 
ing their attention in another way ; for if they are attracted from the 
right way they may sink into eternal ruin. 

We come now to another great barrier against the progress of truth, 
which has to be removed according to God's word (Mai. iv, 1), before 
his kingdom shall come and his will be done in earth as it is in heaven, 
and that is, the pride which is displayed by a large portion of Christen- 
dom at this time. Is it reasonable that the Pharisees could have ex- 
alted themselves in this matter any more than a large portion of the 
professed worshippers of God do at this day ? If Christ were to make 
his personal appearance amongst his professed followers at this day in 
as meek and lowly a manner as he did amongst the Pharisees, how 
many would receive him ? We are led to believe that they would act 
towards him as they do towards the truth as it is in Christ Jesus. Oh, 
think how many there are at this day who desire to be great I and lit- 
tle you, even amongst the brotherhood: so much so, that numbers 
preach that there will be a distinction made in heaven ; and if this be 
so, it will pfe be according to God's word, " For whosoever exalteth 
himself shall be abased, and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted" 
(Luke xiv, 2). 

Those who profess to bear the name of Christ, let them remember 
that if they wish to be followers of Christ, they must consider the 
meek and lowly position which he assumed when on earth. It was so 
much so, that he came unto his own and his own received him not ; for 
he said, " The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; 
but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head." He was despised 
and rejected of men : a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, and 
a sojourner while here on earth; who, when he was reviled, reviled not 
again ; when he suffered, he threatened not, but committed himself to 
him that judgeth righteously. 

Oh, that men may consider at this day, and learn a lesson from 
Christ's example which might lead them to a growth in the knowledge of 
his merits. Examine yourselves, before you be examined by the 
mighty judgments of God, whether ye be in the faith or not. Prove 
your own selves ; for man is not able to travel on in this narrow or 
living way except through faith, looking unto Jesus the author and 
finisher of his faith — not that we should mingle works with our faith, 
for this would be a lame sacrifice, or look like Peter did at the boister- 
ous wind, but at the all-sufficiency which is in the merits of Christ, to 
bear us through. Let the wind blow and the waves roll beneath, we 
should not turn our eyes from that living way, but press on towards 
the prize of the high calling as it is in Christ Jesus ; which is the only 
4 



26 



way to life and salvation. Man has first to attain to a full growth in 
grace before he can have a perfect faith ; and as long as a man is lack- 
ing in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus 
Christ, he is lacking in faith : therefore, there is no other way to as- 
cend through this second vale unto the Garden of Eden, or that happy 
era called the Millennium, except by a growth in grace and a perfect 
faith. The time has come when God is about to set up his kingdom 
on earth ; when the kingdom and dominion and the greatness of the 
kingdom under the whole heaven shall be given to the people of the 
saints of the Most High ; and we cannot participate in the enjoyments 
of that kingdom until we attain to a full growth in grace, to the mea- 
sure and stature of the fulness of Christ, which gives us a perfect 
faith, a full trust in God, through faith in the righteousness of Christ 
Jesus his Son, enabling us to pass through that great desolation which 
God has spoken of, by the mouth of his prophets, that shall come for 
the cleansing of the earth, for the establishing of God ; s kingdom here 
on earth, when the w T olf shall dwell with the lamb. 

Part faith and part works will be a lame sacrifice, which will not be 
accepted in that day of trouble, which will be like refiner's fire and ful- 
ler's soap to try all, both saint and sinner, that it may be known who is 
prepared to enter into and obtain that heavenly prize set before us, the 
Millennium. 

Come along, all ye that are willing to give Christ the glory, and let 
us press on together, for the Lord has promised good concerning his 
spiritual Israel. 



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